Investigation of gastrointestinal biomarkers in dogs with diarrhea

In this study, it was aimed to evaluate the zonulin and lactate levels, which are among the gastrointestinal biomarkers, in dogs with diarrhea due to various reasons. Thirty dogs with diarrhea and 15 healthy dogs, which were not classified as etiological, were included in the study. Blood samples were taken from Vena cephalica antebrachii of each dog in accordance with the technique. Serum zonulin levels were measured from the blood samples collected in tubes without anticoagulant, using the commercial test kit based on the ELISA principle. Plasma lactate levels were measured using a handheld analyzer from blood samples taken into heparinized tubes. While serum zonulin concentrations were found to be 9.80 ± 6.7 ng/mL in dogs with diarrhea, serum zonulin concentrations were found to be 1.94 ± 1.4 ng/mL in healthy dogs. It was determined that the plasma lactate levels of the dogs with diarrhea were 9.02 ± 4.7 mmol/L, whereas the plasma lactate concentrations of the healthy dogs were 1.21 ± 1.4 mmol/L. In the statistical evaluation, both zonulin and lactate concentrations were found to be highly significant (p< 0.05) for dogs with diarrhea. As a result, it was concluded that the gastrointestinal biomarkers zonulin and lactate levels increased in blood in dogs with diarrhea and that zonulin and lactate could be taken into account in detecting the damage that may occur in the intestines due to diarrhea, and these markers could be used in the follow-up of the prognosis and treatment of diarrhea.