Changes in Calprotectin (S100A8-A9) and Aldolase in the Saliva of Horses with Equine Gastric Ulcer Syndrome.
Authors: Muñoz-Prieto Alberto, Contreras-Aguilar María Dolores, Cerón José Joaquín, Ayala de la Peña Ignacio, Martín-Cuervo María, Eckersall Peter David, Holm Henriksen Ida-Marie, Tecles Fernando, Hansen Sanni
Journal: Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
Summary
# Editorial Summary: Salivary Biomarkers for Equine Gastric Ulcer Syndrome Equine gastric ulcer syndrome remains a significant welfare concern affecting performance and quality of life across diverse populations, with two distinct pathological forms—squamous (ESGD) and glandular (EGGD) disease—requiring differentiation. Muñoz-Prieto and colleagues developed and validated automated saliva assays for calprotectin and aldolase, testing these potential biomarkers across 131 horses categorised as healthy, ESGD, EGGD, combined disease, or harbouring other intestinal pathologies. Calprotectin demonstrated superior discriminatory ability, successfully distinguishing ulcerated horses from healthy controls with good analytical precision and accuracy, though neither marker reliably differentiated EGUS cases from horses with alternative intestinal conditions. Whilst salivary sampling offers the obvious practical advantage of non-invasive collection in clinical and field settings, the current evidence suggests these biomarkers would function as complementary screening tools rather than standalone diagnostics—potentially useful for identifying at-risk individuals warranting further gastroscopic investigation. The authors acknowledge the need for larger, prospective studies to establish clinical utility thresholds and to determine whether marker patterns might eventually support disease subtype classification in working and competition horses.
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Practical Takeaways
- •Salivary biomarkers (calprotectin and aldolase) may offer a non-invasive complementary diagnostic tool for detecting EGUS in horses, though further validation is needed before clinical application
- •Calprotectin shows more promise than aldolase as a potential salivary biomarker for EGUS, but neither reliably distinguishes EGUS from other intestinal conditions
- •These findings warrant additional research to determine clinical utility; practitioners should not yet rely on these biomarkers as primary diagnostic tools for EGUS
Key Findings
- •Salivary calprotectin (CALP) and aldolase assays were analytically validated with good precision and accuracy
- •CALP and aldolase discriminated between horses with EGUS and healthy horses, with CALP showing superior performance
- •Neither biomarker showed significant differences between horses with EGUS and horses with other intestinal diseases
- •Study enrolled 131 horses across 5 groups including healthy controls, ESGD, EGGD, combined ESGD/EGGD, and other intestinal pathologies