Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2020 Nov 23:11:131-137.
doi: 10.2147/VMRR.S277208. eCollection 2020.

Effects of Age on Inflammatory Profiles and Nutrition/Energy Metabolism in Domestic Cats

Takayuki Mizorogi  1   2 , Motoo Kobayashi  2 , Kenji Ohara  1   3 , Yuki Okada  1 , Ichiro Yamamoto  1 , Toshiro Arai  1 , Koh Kawasumi  1
Affiliations

Effects of Age on Inflammatory Profiles and Nutrition/Energy Metabolism in Domestic Cats

Takayuki Mizorogi et al. Vet Med (Auckl). .

Abstract

Background: Animals tend to increase in body weight and body condition score (BCS) with aging. Serum diagnostic markers related to energy metabolism may show changes even in healthy cats with aging.

Materials and methods: Seventy domestic cats were recruited for this study. Based upon the modified AAFP-AAHA Feline Life Stage Guidelines, animals were divided into six groups: Junior (7 months-2 years), Prime (3 -6 years), Mature (7-10 years), Senior (11-14 years), Geriatric-obese (15 years ≤) and Geriatric-thin (15 years ≤). Their body condition scores (BCS) ranged from 3/9 to 9/9. Changes in metabolites, inflammatory markers, hormone concentrations and enzyme activities related to energy metabolism were investigated in serum of 70 domestic cats of various ages.

Results: Serum glucose (GLU) concentrations in the Mature, Senior, and Geriatric-obese groups were significantly higher than those in the Junior group. Serum amyloid A (SAA) concentrations in the Geriatric-thin group were significantly increased compared with the Junior group. SAA concentrations in the Geriatric-obese group tended to increase although there were no statistically significant differences. In the Mature, Senior, Geriatric-obese and Geriatric-thin groups, malate dehydrogenase/lactate dehydrogenase (M/L) ratio, an energy metabolic indicator, tended to decrease compared with the Junior group. In the Senior group, triglyceride (TG) concentrations were significantly increased compared with the Junior group. In the Geriatric-obese and Geriatric-thin groups, blood urea nitrogen (BUN) concentrations were significantly increased compared with the Junior group. In the Geriatric-obese group, albumin (ALB) concentrations were decreased compared with the Junior group.

Conclusion: Aged domestic cats tend to increase in body weight and BCS. In addition, serum GLU, TG, SAA, and BUN concentrations increased and serum ALB concentrations and M/L ratio decreased. These diagnostic markers may be useful to detect small changes related to energy metabolism with aging that may cause obesity with light inflammation in healthy cats.

Keywords: M/L ratio; SAA; aging; domestic cats; obesity.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest and declare that this study was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Krotkiewski M, Bjorntorp P, Stostrom L, Smith U. Impact of obesity on metabolism in man and women. Importance of regional adipose tissue distribution. J Clin Invest. 1983;72:1150–1162. doi:10.1172/JCI111040 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Lind L, Figarska S, Sundstrom J, Fall T, Arnlov J, Ingelsson E. Changes in proteomic profiles are related to changes in BMI and fat distribution during 10 years of aging. Obesity. 2020;28:178–186. doi:10.1002/oby.22660 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Azzu V, Valencak TG. Energy metabolism and aging in the mouse: A mini review. Gerontology. 2017;63:327–336. doi:10.1159/000454924 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Bastin M, Poirier P, Lemieux I, Despres JP. Overview of epidemiology and contribution of obesity to cardiovascular disease. Prog Cardiovasc Dis. 2014;56(4):369–381. doi:10.1016/j.pcad.2013.10.016 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Dominguez LJ, Barbagallo M. The biology of the metabolic syndrome and aging. Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care. 2016;19:5–11. doi:10.1097/MCO.0000000000000243 - DOI - PubMed