Changes in Proteins in Saliva and Serum in Equine Gastric Ulcer Syndrome Using a Proteomic Approach.
Authors: Muñoz-Prieto Alberto, Contreras-Aguilar Maria Dolores, Cerón Jose Joaquín, Ayala Ignacio, Martin-Cuervo Maria, Gonzalez-Sanchez Juan Carlos, Jacobsen Stine, Kuleš Josipa, Beletić Anđelo, Rubić Ivana, Mrljak Vladimir, Tecles Fernando, Hansen Sanni
Journal: Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
Summary
# Editorial Summary: Proteomic Changes in EGUS Equine gastric ulcer syndrome manifests as two distinct pathologies—glandular and squamous disease—yet clinicians lack specific biomarkers to differentiate between them or monitor their progression. Using high-resolution liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry with TMT peptide labelling, researchers analysed salivary and serum proteomes from 12 affected horses (six with equine glandular gastric disease, six with equine squamous gastric disease) and ten healthy controls. Glandular disease produced relatively modest proteomic changes with ten differentially abundant salivary proteins predominantly reflecting immune activation, whilst squamous disease showed substantially greater disruption across 36 salivary proteins, primarily those regulating epithelial cell turnover and proliferation. Saliva proved more diagnostically sensitive than serum, displaying both quantitatively greater protein changes and qualitatively distinct patterns between disease types, suggesting the gastrointestinal mucosa directly influences salivary composition in meaningful ways. These findings offer practitioners potential non-invasive diagnostic tools—particularly for distinguishing disease phenotypes—whilst revealing that glandular and squamous ulceration operate through fundamentally different pathophysiological mechanisms worthy of tailored management approaches.
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Practical Takeaways
- •Salivary biomarkers may offer a non-invasive diagnostic tool for differentiating between EGGD and ESGD in clinical practice
- •The distinct proteomic signatures suggest different pathophysiological mechanisms between the two forms of EGUS, which may inform targeted treatment approaches
- •Saliva appears more sensitive than serum for detecting EGUS-related protein changes, making it a potentially superior diagnostic fluid
Key Findings
- •Salivary proteomic analysis identified 10 significantly changed proteins in EGGD horses and 36 in ESGD horses compared to healthy controls
- •EGGD-associated protein changes were predominantly related to immune activation pathways
- •ESGD-associated protein changes were primarily related to squamous cell regulation and growth processes
- •Saliva demonstrated a higher number of significantly changed proteins and different pattern compared to serum analysis