Catestatin, vasostatin, cortisol, and pain assessments in dogs suffering from traumatic bone fractures.
BACKGROUND
Traumatic bone fractures cause moderate to severe pain, which needs to be minimized for optimal recovery and animal welfare, illustrating the need for reliable objective pain biomarkers for use in a clinical setting. The objectives of this study were to investigate catestatin (CST) and vasostatin (VS) concentrations as two new potential biomarkers, and cortisol concentrations, scores of the short form of the Glasgow composite measure pain scale (CMPS-SF), and visual analog scale (VAS) in dogs suffering from traumatic bone fractures before and after morphine administration in comparison with healthy dogs.


METHODS
Fourteen dogs with hind limb or pelvic fractures and thirty healthy dogs were included. Dogs with fractures were divided into four groups according to analgesia received before participation. Physical examination, CMPS-SF, pain and stress behavior VAS scores were recorded in all dogs. Saliva and blood were collected once in healthy dogs and in dogs with fractures before and 35-70 min after morphine administration. Blood samples were analyzed for CST, VS, and cortisol. Saliva volumes, however, were insufficient for analysis.


RESULTS
Catestatin and cortisol concentrations, and CMPS-SF, and VAS scores differed significantly between dogs with fractures prior to morphine administration and healthy dogs. After morphine administration, dogs with fractures had significantly decreased CMPS-SF and VAS scores and, compared to healthy dogs, CST concentrations, CMPS-SF, and VAS scores still differed significantly. However, CST concentrations remained largely within the normal range. Absolute delta values for CST significantly correlated with delta values for CMPS-SF. Catestatin and cortisol did not differ significantly before and after morphine administration. Vasostatin concentrations did not differ significantly between groups.


CONCLUSIONS
Catestatin and cortisol concentrations, CMPS-SF, and VAS scores differed significantly in the dogs with traumatic bone fractures compared to the healthy dogs. Morphine treatment partially relieved pain and stress according to the subjective but not according to the objective assessments performed. However, because of the large degree of overlap with normal values, our results suggest that plasma CST concentrations have a limited potential as a clinically useful biomarker for pain-induced stress.
Department of Clinical Sciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Box 7054, 75007, Uppsala, Sweden. thanikul.srithunyarat@slu.se.|Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, 40002, Thailand. thanikul.srithunyarat@slu.se.
Thanikul
http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1372-7917
T
Srithunyarat
Department of Clinical Sciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Box 7054, 75007, Uppsala, Sweden.
Ragnvi
R
Hagman
Department of Clinical Sciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Box 7054, 75007, Uppsala, Sweden.
Odd V
OV
Höglund
Department of Medical Sciences, Uppsala University, 75185, Uppsala, Sweden.
Mats
M
Stridsberg
Unit of Applied Statistics and Mathematics, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Box 7013, 75007, Uppsala, Sweden.
Ulf
U
Olsson
Department of Clinical Sciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Box 7054, 75007, Uppsala, Sweden.
Jeanette
J
Hanson
Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, 40002, Thailand.
Chalermkwan
C
Nonthakotr
Department of Clinical Sciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Box 7054, 75007, Uppsala, Sweden.
Anne-Sofie
AS
Lagerstedt
Department of Clinical Sciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Box 7054, 75007, Uppsala, Sweden.
Ann
A
Pettersson
D000701:Analgesics, Opioid / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood*; D037282:Calreticulin / Q000097:blood*; D053379:Chromogranin A / Q000097:blood*; D004285:Dogs; D005260:Female; D050723:Fractures, Bone / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis; D006614:Hindlimb / Q000293:injuries; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D009020:Morphine / Q000494:pharmacology; D010146:Pain / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology; D010147:Pain Measurement / Q000379:methods; D010384:Pelvic Bones / Q000293:injuries; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000097:blood*; D012463:Saliva / Q000737:chemistry; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D000701:Analgesics, Opioid; D015415:Biomarkers; D037282:Calreticulin; D053379:Chromogranin A; D010446:Peptide Fragments; C109084:chromogranin A (344-364); C121986:vasostatin; D009020:Morphine; D006854:Hydrocortisone
Biomarker; Chromogranin A; Morphine analgesia; Stress response