Alpha-Amylase Activity in Feline Saliva: An Analytical Validation of an Automated Assay for Its Measurement and a Pilot Study on Its Changes Following Acute Stress and Due to Urinary Tract Pathologies
Salivary alpha-amylase (sAA) increases in response to stressful stimuli in a number of animal species, and it is considered a biomarker of sympathetic nervous system activation. However, no studies have been performed in which sAA has been measured in cats. The aim of this study was to perform an an...
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2025-07-01
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| author | Esmeralda Cañadas-Vidal Alberto Muñoz-Prieto Juan D. García-Martínez Jose J. Ceron Luis Pardo-Marín Asta Tvarijonaviciute |
| author_facet | Esmeralda Cañadas-Vidal Alberto Muñoz-Prieto Juan D. García-Martínez Jose J. Ceron Luis Pardo-Marín Asta Tvarijonaviciute |
| author_sort | Esmeralda Cañadas-Vidal |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Salivary alpha-amylase (sAA) increases in response to stressful stimuli in a number of animal species, and it is considered a biomarker of sympathetic nervous system activation. However, no studies have been performed in which sAA has been measured in cats. The aim of this study was to perform an analytical and clinical validation of a commercially available automated assay for the determination of sAA in feline saliva. For the analytical validation, the precision, accuracy, and lower limit of quantification (LLOQ) were determined. To evaluate its response to acute stress, sAA was evaluated in feline saliva before and after stressful stimuli, consisting of a blood extraction. In addition, the sAA activity was compared between cats suffering from urinary tract pathologies and healthy controls. Analytical validation studies confirmed the method as being precise, accurate, and sufficiently sensitive for the sAA determination in cats. When the response to stress was evaluated, a statistically significant increase was detected in sAA in comparison with its activity before the blood extraction. In addition, cats with urinary tract diseases presented higher sAA activity than controls. The results of the present study indicate that sAA can be measured in feline saliva. This study could contribute to a wider use of the measurements of sAA in the saliva of cats and serve as a basis for future investigations aiming to assess acute stress in this species in a non-invasive manner. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-2e44dd5160204ae79e871277ec2a15d4 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2076-2615 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Animals |
| spelling | doaj-art-2e44dd5160204ae79e871277ec2a15d42025-08-20T03:36:18ZengMDPI AGAnimals2076-26152025-07-011514207410.3390/ani15142074Alpha-Amylase Activity in Feline Saliva: An Analytical Validation of an Automated Assay for Its Measurement and a Pilot Study on Its Changes Following Acute Stress and Due to Urinary Tract PathologiesEsmeralda Cañadas-Vidal0Alberto Muñoz-Prieto1Juan D. García-Martínez2Jose J. Ceron3Luis Pardo-Marín4Asta Tvarijonaviciute5Interdisciplinary Laboratory of Clinical Analysis Interlab-UMU, Regional Campus of International Excellence ‘Campus Mare Nostrum’, University of Murcia, Calle Campus Universitario 16, Espinardo, 30100 Murcia, SpainInterdisciplinary Laboratory of Clinical Analysis Interlab-UMU, Regional Campus of International Excellence ‘Campus Mare Nostrum’, University of Murcia, Calle Campus Universitario 16, Espinardo, 30100 Murcia, SpainDepartment of Animal Medicine and Surgery, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Murcia, Calle Campus Universitario 16, Espinardo, 30100 Murcia, SpainInterdisciplinary Laboratory of Clinical Analysis Interlab-UMU, Regional Campus of International Excellence ‘Campus Mare Nostrum’, University of Murcia, Calle Campus Universitario 16, Espinardo, 30100 Murcia, SpainInterdisciplinary Laboratory of Clinical Analysis Interlab-UMU, Regional Campus of International Excellence ‘Campus Mare Nostrum’, University of Murcia, Calle Campus Universitario 16, Espinardo, 30100 Murcia, SpainInterdisciplinary Laboratory of Clinical Analysis Interlab-UMU, Regional Campus of International Excellence ‘Campus Mare Nostrum’, University of Murcia, Calle Campus Universitario 16, Espinardo, 30100 Murcia, SpainSalivary alpha-amylase (sAA) increases in response to stressful stimuli in a number of animal species, and it is considered a biomarker of sympathetic nervous system activation. However, no studies have been performed in which sAA has been measured in cats. The aim of this study was to perform an analytical and clinical validation of a commercially available automated assay for the determination of sAA in feline saliva. For the analytical validation, the precision, accuracy, and lower limit of quantification (LLOQ) were determined. To evaluate its response to acute stress, sAA was evaluated in feline saliva before and after stressful stimuli, consisting of a blood extraction. In addition, the sAA activity was compared between cats suffering from urinary tract pathologies and healthy controls. Analytical validation studies confirmed the method as being precise, accurate, and sufficiently sensitive for the sAA determination in cats. When the response to stress was evaluated, a statistically significant increase was detected in sAA in comparison with its activity before the blood extraction. In addition, cats with urinary tract diseases presented higher sAA activity than controls. The results of the present study indicate that sAA can be measured in feline saliva. This study could contribute to a wider use of the measurements of sAA in the saliva of cats and serve as a basis for future investigations aiming to assess acute stress in this species in a non-invasive manner.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/15/14/2074catsalivary alpha-amylasefelinesalivasympathetic activationvalidation |
| spellingShingle | Esmeralda Cañadas-Vidal Alberto Muñoz-Prieto Juan D. García-Martínez Jose J. Ceron Luis Pardo-Marín Asta Tvarijonaviciute Alpha-Amylase Activity in Feline Saliva: An Analytical Validation of an Automated Assay for Its Measurement and a Pilot Study on Its Changes Following Acute Stress and Due to Urinary Tract Pathologies Animals cat salivary alpha-amylase feline saliva sympathetic activation validation |
| title | Alpha-Amylase Activity in Feline Saliva: An Analytical Validation of an Automated Assay for Its Measurement and a Pilot Study on Its Changes Following Acute Stress and Due to Urinary Tract Pathologies |
| title_full | Alpha-Amylase Activity in Feline Saliva: An Analytical Validation of an Automated Assay for Its Measurement and a Pilot Study on Its Changes Following Acute Stress and Due to Urinary Tract Pathologies |
| title_fullStr | Alpha-Amylase Activity in Feline Saliva: An Analytical Validation of an Automated Assay for Its Measurement and a Pilot Study on Its Changes Following Acute Stress and Due to Urinary Tract Pathologies |
| title_full_unstemmed | Alpha-Amylase Activity in Feline Saliva: An Analytical Validation of an Automated Assay for Its Measurement and a Pilot Study on Its Changes Following Acute Stress and Due to Urinary Tract Pathologies |
| title_short | Alpha-Amylase Activity in Feline Saliva: An Analytical Validation of an Automated Assay for Its Measurement and a Pilot Study on Its Changes Following Acute Stress and Due to Urinary Tract Pathologies |
| title_sort | alpha amylase activity in feline saliva an analytical validation of an automated assay for its measurement and a pilot study on its changes following acute stress and due to urinary tract pathologies |
| topic | cat salivary alpha-amylase feline saliva sympathetic activation validation |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/15/14/2074 |
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