In-depth characterisation of the urine metabolome in cats with and without urinary tract diseases

Abstract

Introduction Our understanding of the urine metabolome and its association with urinary tract disease is limited in cats. Objectives We conducted a case–control study to characterise the feline urine metabolome, investigate its association with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and feline idiopathic cystitis (FIC), and assess its compositional relationship with the urine microbiome. Methods The urine metabolome of 45 owned cats, including 23 controls, 16 CKD, and 6 FIC cases, was characterised by an untargeted metabolomics approach using high-performance chemical isotope labelling liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry. Results We detected 9411 unique compounds in the urine of controls and cases and identified 1037 metabolites with high confidence. Amino acids, peptides, and analogues dominated these metabolites (32.2%), followed by carbonyl compounds (7.1%) and carbohydrates (6.5%). Seven controls from one household showed a significant level of metabolome clustering, with a distinct separation from controls from other households (p value < 0.001). Owner surveys revealed that this cluster of cats was fed dry food only, whereas all but one other control had wet food in their diet. Accordingly, the diet type was significantly associated with the urine metabolome composition in our multivariate model (p value = 0.001). Metabolites significantly altered in this cluster included taurine, an essential amino acid in cats. Urine metabolome profiles were not significantly different in CKD and FIC cases compared with controls, and no significant compositional relationship was detected between the urine metabolome and microbiome. Conclusion Our study reveals in-depth diversity of the feline urine metabolome composition, and suggests that it can vary considerably depending on environmental factors.

Creep Feeding and Weaning Influence the Postnatal Evolution of the Plasma Metabolome in Neonatal Piglets

“…Metabolomics approaches have been used to detect markers for a variety of health and physiological conditions in animals [ 1 , 2 ]. While there is an extensive body of research on weaned and growing pigs [ 3 , 4 ], the developmental patterns in the blood metabolome of neonatal piglets from the suckling to early postweaning phase have been incompletely described.…”

Untargeted metabolomic profiling of serum from client-owned cats with early and late-stage chronic kidney disease

“…This method has been extensively performed in people with CKD and was successfully used for biomarker discovery for early diagnosis and etiology identification 7 . Various feline untargeted metabolomics studies have been performed 8 – 12 . The studies used plasma 9 , 10 , serum 11 , feces 8 , 9 , and urine 12 collected from cats with early-stage CKD.…”

“…Various feline untargeted metabolomics studies have been performed 8 – 12 . The studies used plasma 9 , 10 , serum 11 , feces 8 , 9 , and urine 12 collected from cats with early-stage CKD. Most studies used purpose-bred research cats 8 – 11 and examined dietary impacts on the metabolome 8 , 9 , 11 .…”

Untargeted metabolomic profiling of serum from client-owned cats with early and late-stage chronic kidney disease

“…This method has been extensively performed in people with CKD and was successfully used for biomarker discovery for early diagnosis and etiology identi cation [7]. Various feline untargeted metabolomics studies have been performed [8][9][10][11][12]. The studies used plasma [9,10], serum [11], feces [8,9], and urine [12] collected from cats with early-stage CKD.…”

“…Various feline untargeted metabolomics studies have been performed [8][9][10][11][12]. The studies used plasma [9,10], serum [11], feces [8,9], and urine [12] collected from cats with early-stage CKD. Most studies used purpose-bred research cats [8][9][10][11] and examined dietary impacts on the metabolome [8, 9,11].…”