Serum biomarkers of oxidative stress in cats with feline infectious peritonitis

- Serum oxidative stress biomarkers in cats with feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) were studied.
- Serum paraoxonase-1 (PON1) with three different substrates and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) were measured.
- PON1 decreased in cats with FIP as well as with other inflammatory conditions.
- TAC decreased only in cats with feline infectious peritonitis.
- The study demonstrated a situation of oxidative stress with changes in both PON1 and TAC in cats with FIP.

The purpose of this study was to elucidate the possible presence of oxidative stress in cats naturally affected by feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) by investigating two antioxidant biomarkers in serum: paraoxonase-1 (PON1) and total antioxidant capacity (TAC). PON1 was measured by spectrophotometric assays using three different substrates: p-nitrophenyl acetate (pNA), phenyl acetate (PA) and 5-thiobutil butyrolactone (TBBL), in order to evaluate possible differences between them. The PA and TBBL assays for PON1 and the assay for TAC were validated, providing acceptable precision and linearity although PA and TAC assays showed limit of detection higher than the values found in some cats with FIP. Cats with FIP and other inflammatory conditions showed lower PON1 values compared with a group of healthy cats with the three assays used, and cats with FIP showed significant decreased TAC concentrations. This study demonstrated the existence of oxidative stress in cats with FIP.