Urinary peptidome analyses for the diagnosis of chronic kidney disease in dogs

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is clinically important in canine medicine. Current diagnostic tools lack sensitivity for detection of subclinical CKD. The aim of the present study was to evaluate urinary peptidome analysis for diagnosis of CKD in dogs. Capillary electrophoresis coupled to mass spectrometry analysis demonstrated presence of approximately 5400 peptides in dog urine. Comparison of urinary peptide abundance of dogs with and without CKD led to the identification of 133 differentially excreted peptides (adjusted P for each peptide <0.05). Sequence information was obtained for 35 of these peptides. This 35 peptide subset and the total group of 133 peptides were used to construct two predictive models of CKD which were subsequently validated by researchers masked to results in an independent cohort of 20 dogs. Both models diagnosed CKD with an area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve of 0.88 (95% confidence intervals [CI], 0.72–1.0). Most differentially excreted peptides represented fragments of collagen I, indicating possible association with fibrotic processes in CKD (similar to the equivalent human urinary peptide CKD model, CKD273). This first study of the urinary peptidome in dogs identified peptides that were associated with presence of CKD. Future studies are needed to validate the utility of this model for diagnosis and prediction of progression of canine CKD in a clinical setting

Molecular and bioactive profiling of selected Eugenia species from Mauritius Island

The <em>Eugenia</em> genus is comprised of about 1011 species which share similar features resulting in the complexity of its taxonomy and nomenclature. <em>E. crassipetala, E. kanakana, E. tinifolia</em> and two undescribed <em>Eugenia</em> <em>species</em> all medicinal and endemic to Mauritius Islands were characterized using their phytochemical, bioactive and molecular profile. Biological activity was assessed using the broth microdilution assay and the DPPH assay. Significant minimal inhibitory concentration values of <em>E. crassipetala</em> against <em>E. coli</em> (1.56 mg/mL), <em>E. kanakana</em> against <em>P. mirabilis</em> (0.55 mg/mL) and <em>E. spp</em> (small) against <em>S. aureus</em> (0.43 mg/mL) validates the antibacterial ability of these plant extracts and could be attributed to their high content of antioxidants (flavonoids and phenols). Genetic diversity among these five species was assessed by amplification of genomic DNA using 60 RAPD and 25 ISSR markers. Hierarchical cluster analysis validates the uniqueness of each <em>Eugenia</em> species with <em>E. crassipetala</em> and <em>E. tinifolia</em> forming a separate cluster. Comparative analysis of phytochemical composition and bioactivity correlate with the branching pattern of the species in the dendogram