Concentration of plasma free amino acids before and after chemotherapy in canine transitional cell carcinoma

Abstract

The concentrations of plasma free amino acids（PFAAs）are reported to change in human patients with cancer before and after chemotherapy. However, it is unclear in cancer dogs. Therefore the purpose of the current study was to investigate the changes in PFAAs before and after chemotherapy in dogs with transitional cell carcinoma（TCC）. We used the 3 TCC dogs in the current study. TCC dogs were administrated mitoxantrone via the intravascular route at the first day of the diagnosis and administration schedule was settled at 0 and 3 weeks. In addition, TCC dogs were orally administrated piroxicam by 6 weeks, once a day. Then, we measured the concentration of different 30 amino acids using liquid chromatography mass spectrometry with pre-prandial plasma samples at 0, 1, 3 and 6 weeks. Significant changes were observed in mean plasma cystathionine concentration between before and after chemotherapy. Cystathionine is gradually decreased at 1 week and 3 weeks as compare to 0 week, thereafter increased at 6 weeks. Plasma cystathionine of TCC dogs might be utilized by the tumor cell. Therefore, these results indicate that PFAAs is affected by administration of anticancer drugs in TCC dogs. Further study is needed to confirm the relationship between TCC and PFAAs profile with more canine patients and longer experimental period.