Symmetric dimethylarginine and creatinine concentrations in serum of healthy draft horses.
Abstract: Symmetric dimethylarginine (SDMA) is considered a more sensitive indirect estimate of glomerular filtration rate (GFR) than creatinine (Cr). Symmetric dimethylarginine is not affected by sex or muscle mass in small animals. Objective: To validate a commercial SDMA immunoassay (IA) for equine serum; to compare SDMA and Cr in cohorts of draft horse breeds; and to assess effects of age, sex, and breed. Methods: One hundred and sixty-five healthy draft horses (0.5-16 years), including 63 Percherons, 52 Clydesdales, and 50 Belgians. Methods: Cross-sectional study. The SDMA IA was validated for equine serum by comparison to liquid chromatography-mass spectroscopy (LC-MS) results and other methods. Symmetric dimethylarginine and Cr were compared by analysis of variance and correlation analysis. Results: Median and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for LC-MS (10.0 [9.4, 10.2] μg/dL) and IA (9.7 [9.5, 10.0] μg/dL) SDMA concentrations were strongly correlated (R = .74, P < .001). Symmetric dimethylarginine was lower (P < .01) in Percherons and Belgians, than in Clydesdales. Median values and 95% CI for Cr were 1.3 (1.2, 1.4), 1.4 (1.3, 1.5), and 1.4 (1.3, 1.5) mg/dL (P = .06) for Percherons, Clydesdales, and Belgians, respectively. Symmetric dimethylarginine was correlated to Cr (LC-MS, R = .60, P < .001; IA, R = .66, P < .001). There were no differences in SDMA or Cr between sexes and there were no correlations between age and SDMA or Cr. Conclusions: Although a significant breed effect on SDMA concentration was found, differences were small and all medians were <14 μg/dL, the cutoff value to support renal dysfunction in dogs and cats.
© 2021 The Authors. Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine published by Wiley Periodicals LLC. on behalf of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine.
Publication Date: 2021-02-05 PubMed ID: 33543506PubMed Central: PMC7995414DOI: 10.1111/jvim.16042Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary
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The research article explores the use of Symmetric dimethylarginine (SDMA) in comparison with creatinine (Cr) as a method for assessing the glomerular filtration rate (GFR), specifically in case of draft horses. The study involved validation of a commercial SDMA immunoassay for equine serum; correlation analysis of SDMA and Cr in various draft horse breeds; and consideration of potential effects of age, sex, and breed on these biomarkers.
Validation of the Symmetric dimethylarginine Immunoassay
- The study began with the validation of a commercial SDMA immunoassay (IA) by comparing it to liquid chromatography-mass spectroscopy (LC-MS) results.
- The results showed a strong correlation between SDMA concentrations obtained by LC-MS and IA.
Comparing SDMA and Creatinine Concentrations in Different Breeds
- The researchers then compared SDMA and Cr in three breeds of draft horses: Percherons, Clydesdales, and Belgians.
- Results showed that SDMA was lower in Percherons and Belgians than in Clydesdales.
- However, Cr values among the three breeds did not significantly differ.
The Effect of Age, Sex, and Breed
- The researchers investigated whether age, sex, and breed affected SDMA and Cr levels.
- The study revealed no significant differences in either SDMA or Cr between sexes. Similarly, there were no correlations between age and SDMA or Cr concentrations.
Conclusions
- In conclusion, although there were some breed variations in SDMA levels, the differences were minimal.
- All median SDMA concentrations were less than 14 μg/dL, which is the threshold to support renal dysfunction in small animals like dogs and cats.
- This suggests that both SDMA and Cr can be potentially used as reliable indicators to assess kidney function in draft horses. However, the applicability of SDMA needs further investigation given the slight breed variations observed in this study.
Cite This Article
APA
Schott HC, Gallant LR, Coyne M, Murphy R, Cross J, Strong-Townsend M, Szlosek D, Yerramilli M, Li J.
(2021).
Symmetric dimethylarginine and creatinine concentrations in serum of healthy draft horses.
J Vet Intern Med, 35(2), 1147-1154.
https://doi.org/10.1111/jvim.16042 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA.
- Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA.
- Newcastle Equine Centre, Lowe St, Broadmeadow, New South Wales, Australia.
- IDEXX Laboratories, Inc., Westbrook, Maine, USA.
- IDEXX Laboratories, Inc., Westbrook, Maine, USA.
- IDEXX Laboratories, Inc., Westbrook, Maine, USA.
- IDEXX Laboratories, Inc., Westbrook, Maine, USA.
- IDEXX Laboratories, Inc., Westbrook, Maine, USA.
- IDEXX Laboratories, Inc., Westbrook, Maine, USA.
- Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.
- IDEXX Laboratories, Inc., Westbrook, Maine, USA.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Arginine / analogs & derivatives
- Biomarkers
- Cat Diseases
- Cats
- Creatinine
- Cross-Sectional Studies
- Dog Diseases
- Dogs
- Horse Diseases / diagnosis
- Horses
- Renal Insufficiency, Chronic / veterinary
Grant Funding
- IDEXX Laboratories, Inc
- Michigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine Endowed Research Funds
Conflict of Interest Statement
Michael Coyne, Rachel Murphy, Julie Cross, Marilyn Strong‐Townsend, Maha Yerramilli, Jun Li have an affiliation to the commercial funders of this research, as current or former employees of IDEXX Laboratories, Inc. (https://www.idexx.com/en/about-idexx/).
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Citations
This article has been cited 11 times.- Mashego PT, Hooijberg EH. Analytical and Quality Control Validation of a Novel Symmetric Dimethylarginine Assay in Dogs and Cats. Vet Clin Pathol 2025 Sep;54(3):239-250.
- Camacho BE, Mitman SL, Foster DM, Halleran J. Validation of a reference interval for symmetric dimethylarginine in healthy goats and its comparison to values in goats with obstructive urolithiasis. J Vet Intern Med 2024 Sep-Oct;38(5):2807-2813.
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