IDENTIFICATION OF ACUTE PHASE PROTEINS IN ABOMASAL FLUID CATTLE WITH ABOMASAL ULCERS FINISHED ON GRASS

• Grant number: 24/23810-2
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: March 01, 2025
• End date: February 28, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Veterinary Medicine - Animal Clinics and Surgery
• Principal Investigator: Luiz Claudio Nogueira Mendes
• Grantee: Karollyna Aparecida Arruda Cavani
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária (FMVA). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Araçatuba. Araçatuba , SP, Brazil

Abstract

One of the biggest current problems in cattle farming is abomasal ulcers, which affect animals of all ages and breeds, regardless of the production system. These ulcers cause indigestion,production effects and can lead to death, resulting in significant economic losses. In Brazil, thelivestock system is traditionally intensive grazing, which system can cause some problems suchas accidental poisoning of animals with access to pasture sprayed with methane-based herbicidearsonate monosodium acid, whose main macroscopic findings were abomasal ulcers and renalcongestion . A number of laboratory abnormalities occur in cows with abomasal ulcers (classifiedas types 1 to 4). Acute phase proteins (PFAs) can be cited as biomarkers of diseases in ruminantsfor several decades, generating an early diagnosis before the appearance of clinical signs. Acutephase proteins (PFAs) are a group of plasma proteins that undergo significant changes in theirconcentration during the acute inflammatory response. For a definitive diagnosis, history, clinicalfindings and the results of additional diagnostic techniques are necessary. As the abomasal mucosais capable of expressing mRNA for several PFAs, it is justified to quantify the concentrations ofthese proteins in the abomasal fluid of abomasums with grade 1 and 2 ulcers compared toabomasums without ulcers (control group). The goals of this study are: a) quantify the differentconcentrations of acute phase proteins (PFAs) present in abomasal fluid samples from cattle raisedin intensive grazing systems and which were identified in the presence (grade 1 and grade 2) orabsence (control group) of abomasal ulcers in the slaughterhouse; b) investigate whether there aredifferences between the concentrations of PFAs produced between the 3 groups: G1: erosions andnon-perforated ulcers with minimal mucosal damage, G2: erosions and non-perforated ulcerscombined with minimal mucosal hemorrhage and C: control. Material and methods: abomasalfluid samples frozen at -80oC processed in a previous study will be used to perform electrophoreticruns to separate the different acute phase proteins. Of 150 abomasa randomly examined in aslaughterhouse, 18 abomasa presented ulcers and were selected according to the macroscopiccharacteristics of each of the 3 groups, whose classification was confirmed by histopathology ingrade 1 ulcers (G1: erosions and non-perforated ulcers with minimal lesions in the mucosa, n=6),grade 2 ulcers (G2: erosions and non-perforated ulcers combined with minimal hemorrhage in themucosa, n=6) and control (C: no lesions, n=6). To quantify APPs, the SDS-PAGE electrophoreticmethodology will be used. The data obtained for each parameter studied, in the differentexperimental groups, will be subjected to analysis of variance (ANOVA), followed by comparisonbetween the means using the Tukey test. Data will be presented as mean ± standard deviation.Data will be considered significant with a P value ¿ 0.05 for the different times.