Towards the Identification of New Biomarkers in Saliva and Serum for Treatment Monitoring of Equine Gastric Ulcer Syndrome: A Liquid Proteomic Approach.
Authors: Muñoz-Prieto Alberto, Rubić Ivana, Rešetar Maslov Dina, González-Sánchez Juan Carlos, Mrljak Vladimir, Cerón Jose Joaquín, Hansen Sanni
Journal: Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
Summary
# Editorial Summary: Proteomic Biomarkers for Monitoring Equine Gastric Ulcer Treatment Equine gastric ulcer syndrome remains a significant clinical challenge, yet current monitoring relies primarily on endoscopic reassessment rather than objective biomarkers. Researchers used liquid proteomics to characterise protein changes in saliva and serum samples collected from horses before and after successful omeprazole treatment, identifying potentially useful molecular indicators of healing. Saliva proved substantially more informative than serum, with 13 proteins showing significant post-treatment changes compared to only 5 in serum; notably, vimentin increased (suggesting enhanced wound healing) whilst podocalyxin decreased (indicating resolved epithelial damage), and gene ontology analysis confirmed dampening of immune-related pathways with successful treatment. In serum, keratin type I elevation supported epithelial recovery, whilst reduced immunoglobulin lambda reflected normalisation of the immune response. These findings suggest that salivary biomarkers may offer a non-invasive, repeatable means of objectively monitoring treatment efficacy and healing progression in EGUS cases, potentially enabling more targeted therapeutic decisions and reducing the need for repeated endoscopy in clinical practice.
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Practical Takeaways
- •Saliva and serum biomarkers may provide non-invasive monitoring tools to assess EGUS treatment response and healing progression without repeated gastroscopy
- •Proteomic changes in wound healing markers (vimentin) and tissue damage indicators (podocalyxin) could help clinicians objectively verify treatment efficacy and guide therapy duration decisions
- •Differential biomarker signatures between saliva and serum suggest that both fluids capture distinct aspects of EGUS pathophysiology and may need to be evaluated together for comprehensive treatment monitoring
Key Findings
- •Saliva proteome identified 503 proteins with 13 significantly altered post-treatment including upregulation of vimentin (wound healing) and downregulation of podocalyxin (tissue damage marker)
- •Serum proteome identified 206 proteins with 5 significant changes including increased keratin type I (epithelial integrity) and decreased immunoglobulin lambda (reduced immune response)
- •Gene ontology analysis demonstrated decreased immune-related pathways following successful omeprazole treatment, indicating differential proteomic responses between saliva and serum