RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS OF THE 28th ECVIM-CA CONGRESS

We analyzed the activities of MMP‐7 using casein SDS‐page zymography in the serum of WHWTs with CIPF (n=28), healthy WHWTs (n=27) and healthy dogs of other breeds (n=12). CIPF diagnosis was based on high resolution computed tomography or post‐mortem lung histopathology (25/28 of CIPF WHWTs and 23/27 healthy WHWTs) or on typical clinical findings. The health of other breed dogs was verified by clinical examinations. MMP‐7 activities were significantly higher in CIPF WHWTs (median 0.32, interquartile range [IQR] 0.17‐0.67, range 0.039‐2.16) compared to healthy WHWTs (median 0.16, IQR 0.12‐0.29, range 0.029‐0.55), p=0.0095. MMP‐7 activity was detected only in one of the other breed healthy dogs (median 0, IQR 0, range 0‐0.17). These results indicate that MMP‐7 is a potential biomarker also in WHWTs with CIPF. However, we noted increased activities also in healthy WHWTs which can be connected to the breed susceptibility to CIPF.