2015 ACVIM Forum Research Abstract Program

A total of 797 named biochemical compounds were identified. Of these, 145 were significantly altered after adjusting for multiple comparisons (q < 0.05). Among major metabolic pathways, some metabolites associated with GIT redox homeostasis were altered, including significantly increased concentrations of precursors of glutathione: 5-oxoproline (q = 0.004), cysteine (q = 0.024), glycine (q = 0.003), and c-glutamyl amino acid deriv-atives of lysine, phenylalanine, valine, and leucine (all q ≤ 0.015). Primary bile acids were generally increased in dogs with disease (cholate, q = 0.013; chenodeoxycholate, q = 0.055), while secondary bile acids were generally decreased in dogs with chronic enteropathy (deoxycholate, q = 0.045; lithocholate, q = 0.059), suggesting impaired bacterial conversion from primary to secondary bile acids. Metabolites within the aromatic amino acid biosynthesis pathway exhibited some of the most significant alterations. The tryptophan metabolites indoleacetate and indolepropionate were significantly decreased in dogs with disease (q = 0.008 and 0.030, respectively). 2-oxindole-3-acetate, an oxidative degradation product of indoleacetate, was 100-fold decreased in diseased animals (q = 0.001) and was top-ranked for discriminating power out of all detected metabolites.