title: Erythrocyte and plasma fatty acid patterns in dogs with atopic dermatitis and healthy dogs in the same household.
abstract: Recent studies have indicated that dogs with canine atopic dermatitis (CAD) may have a disorder of fatty acid metabolism: possibly low or absent activity of delta6-desaturase or delta5-desaturase, or both. To clarify this possibility, we examined the erythrocyte and plasma fatty acid patterns of 8 dogs with CAD and their 8 healthy housemates. Atopic dermatitis was diagnosed according to the criteria proposed by Willemse; other causes of dermatitis were excluded clinically and by appropriate tests. Erythrocyte ghosts were prepared from blood samples. Membrane lipids were extracted and separated by thin-layer chromatography. From plasma and lipid fractions, fatty acid content was determined by gas chromatography. In erythrocytes, but not in plasma, we observed significant differences in the fatty acid pattern that suggested a reduction in the n6 fatty acid products of the delta6- and delta5-desaturases in dogs with atopic dermatitis when compared with healthy housemates.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biochemistry, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Leipzig, Germany. fuhrmann@vetmed.uni-leipzig.de
authors.forename: Herbert
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Fuhrmann
authors.forename: Annett
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zimmermann
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Gück
authors.forename: Gerhard
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Oechtering
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002849:Chromatography, Gas / Q000662:veterinary; D002855:Chromatography, Thin Layer / Q000662:veterinary; D003876:Dermatitis, Atopic / Q000097:blood / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000662:veterinary*; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism*; D004285:Dogs; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism*; D044943:Fatty Acid Desaturases / Q000097:blood / Q000172:deficiency / Q000378:metabolism*; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000032:analysis / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D008297:Male
chemical_list: D005227:Fatty Acids; D044943:Fatty Acid Desaturases