Plasma protein electrophoresis ofTrachemys scriptaandIguana iguana

Abstract

Background: Protein electrophoresis is widely applied in veterinary medicine, but is not used often in reptiles, in part because of lack of reference values. Objective: The goals of this study were to compare plasma protein profiles obtained by cellulose acetate electrophoresis (CAE) and agarose gel electrophoresis (AGE), measure precision and examine interference by sample hemolysis, and establish preliminary reference intervals for 2 reptile species. Methods: Heparinized plasma samples from healthy and diseased adult female Iguana iguana (n = 40) and Trachemys scripta (n = 60) were analyzed by CAE and AGE. Total protein concentration was measured by the biuret method. Electrophoresis results were compared using Bland-Altman plots and Passing-Bablok regression analysis. Precision and the effects of sample hemolysis were determined. Results from clinically healthy animals were used to determine reference intervals. Results: Five protein fractions were identified in both species, with bisalbuminemia observed in 23/40 iguanas. High correlation was observed between the 2 methods for all fractions, with few proportional and systematic errors. Coefficients of variation were lower using AGE vs CAE and for I. iguana vs T. scripta. Two additional bands were observed in hemolyzed samples from T. scripta; 1 additional band was observed for I. iguana. Minimum and maximum values were reported for healthy I. iguana (n = 14) and T. scripta (n = 22). Conclusions: Although both methods are acceptable, the performance of AGE was slightly better than that of CAE for analysis of plasma from reptiles. Furthermore, reptile electrophoretic patterns should be interpreted based on the method used, the species analyzed, and the quality of the plasma sample.

Reference values for hematology and plasma biochemistry variables, and protein electrophoresis of healthy Hermann's tortoises (Testudo hermannissp.)

“…Ranging from 2.2 to 5.5 g/dL, the normal total plasma protein concentration in reptiles is generally lower than that of mammals . Chelonians typically have lower albumin and higher globulin concentrations resulting in an overall lower A/G ratio …”

“…In our research, the albumin peak was identified unambiguously as the main first peak of each pherogram. We encountered difficulties in the identification of the main globulin subfractions (α1, α2, β1, β2) in some samples; therefore, we preferred to consider only one α and one β globulin fraction in the calculation of minimum–maximum ranges, based on the suggestion in an earlier report on the red‐eared slider, Trachemys scripta . Second, considerable inter‐ and intraspecific variation, enhanced by environmental factors including habitat, season, and diet, complicated the lineup of study data with previously reported data.…”

Protein Electrophoresis of Serum from Healthy Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops truncatus)

“…These fractions are believed to reflect over 200 proteins which function as part of the acute phase response and are broadly classified as alpha, beta, and gamma globulins (Kaneko, 1997). Fraction migration is quite varied by species, which often makes fraction identification challenging (Kaneko, 1997;Cray et al, 2007;Eckersall, 2008;Gimenez et al, 2010). As SPEP becomes more readily used with animal species, it is important to generate reference intervals as well as to standardize fraction delimitation so that results may be more comparable among different laboratories.…”

Electrophoretic techniques: the old and the new

“…Recent publications in Veterinary Clinical Pathology ( VCP ) have demonstrated the use of this technique in very different animal species and in a variety of protein abnormalities 8–11 . However, cellulose acetate and agarose gel electrophoresis are still used as reported in previous papers in VCP 12–21 . Currently, most papers describe CZE in comparison with cellulose acetate or agarose systems.…”

“…[8][9][10][11] However, cellulose acetate and agarose gel electrophoresis are still used as reported in previous papers in VCP. [12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21] Currently, most papers describe CZE in comparison with cellulose acetate or agarose systems. Because the resolution of CZE can be much higher than that of the other systems and proteins behave differently, reference values must be calculated again.…”