Vet World   Vol.17   October-2024  Article - 24 

Research Article

Veterinary World, 17(10): 2407-2416

https://doi.org/10.14202/vetworld.2024.2407-2416

Evaluation of galectin-3 and titin in cats with a sarcomeric gene mutation associated with echocardiography

Kanokwan Demeekul1, Pratch Sukumolanan2, and Soontaree Petchdee3
1. Department of Cardio-Thoracic Technology, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Naresuan University, Phitsanulok, Thailand.
2. Department of Veterinary Nursing, Faculty of Veterinary Technology, Kasetsart University, Bangkok, Thailand.
3. Department of Large Animal and Wildlife Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Kasetsart University, Kamphaeng Saen, Nakorn Pathom, Thailand. 

Background and Aim: Cardiac biomarkers, such as serum galectin-3 (Gal-3) and titin levels, may be related to cats with sarcomeric gene mutations. This study evaluated cardiac biomarkers and echocardiographic parameters in cats with or without myosin-binding protein C3 (MYBPC3) gene mutations. 

Materials and Methods: Forty-two healthy cats without cardiac symptoms, including Bengal, Maine Coon, Scottish fold, and Ragdoll cats, were enrolled in this study. Cats were categorized into three groups: Homozygous wild type (n = 17), homozygous MYBPC3 gene mutation (n = 14), and heterozygous MYBPC3 gene mutation (n = 11). All recruited cats underwent echocardiography, and blood samples were collected for DNA extraction. DNA sequencing for MYBPC3 gene mutations at A31P and A74T loci was first examined by Sanger sequencing. The biomarkers of cardiac fibrosis (Gal-3) and myocardial stiffness (titin) were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. 

Results: Gal-3 levels >250 pg/mL were associated with echocardiographic parameters. However, Gal-3 levels were not significantly different between cats with MYBPC3 gene mutations and those in the wild-type group. Titin was associated with the left ventricular (LV) thickness and systolic function (r = 0.405, p = 0.013). Qualitative measurement of titin antibodies showed that the highest percentage of these antibodies was found in homozygous wild-type cats. No correlation was found between titin levels and MYBPC3 gene mutations. Weight was positively associated with interventricular septum (r = 0.312, p = 0.056) and LV wall thickness (LVPW) (r = 0.219, p = 0.187). However, they were not associated with Gal-3 levels. 

Conclusion: LVPW was correlated with weight in cats with sarcomeric gene mutations. Serum titin may be an underlying factor for cardiac hypertrophy in cats. 

Keywords: cardiac biomarker, cat, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, myosin-binding protein C3.


How to cite this article: Demeekul K, Sukumolanan P, and Petchdee S (2024) Evaluation of galectin-3 and titin in cats with a sarcomeric gene mutation associated with echocardiography, Veterinary World, 17(10): 2407-2416.

Received: 2024-07-10    Accepted: 2024-10-03    Published online: 2024-10-31

Corresponding author: Soontaree Petchdee    E-mail: fvetstr@ku.ac.th

DOI: 10.14202/vetworld.2024.2407-2416

Copyright: Demeekul, et al. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/ by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http:// creativecommons.org/ publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated.