Browsing by Author "Patterson K"

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Age-Dependent Increase in Small Intestinal Permeability and Sex-Dependent Absorptive Capacity in Cats (Felis catus)
(Wiley-VCH GmbH, 2025-11-02) Patterson K; Bermingham EN; Fraser K; Bernstein D; Weidgraaf K; Shoveller AK; Thomas DG
Age-associated changes in intestinal permeability and function have not been studied in domestic cats, leaving a key factor in the relationship between age and digestive health in cats unexplored. Due to factors not currently understood, mature and senior cats may experience a loss of fat and protein digestibility, along with a loss of body weight (BW), impacting lifespan and quality of life. Therefore, to establish the relationship between age and intestinal health, intestinal permeability and absorptive capacity were quantified in young and senior cats using a differential sugar absorption test (SAT) on cat plasma. A solution containing four different sized sugars was orally administered to 36 healthy mixed-breed domestic shorthair cats (male (n = 21) and female (n = 15)) split into two groups by age, young 2.40 ± 0.758 (n = 21) and senior 11.23 ± 1.896 (n = 15) years (mean ± SD). Blood was collected before and again 3 h after dosage and plasma was analysed using liquid chromatography mass-spectrometry (LC-MS). Intestinal permeability was higher (p = 0.004) in senior cats than young cats, and was not affected by sex (p = 0.288), sampling date (p = 0.652), or BW (p = 0.951). Absorptive capacity was higher (p = 0.033) in male cats than females, and was not affected by age class (p = 0.440), sampling date (p = 0.580), or BW (p = 0.652). In conclusion, intestinal permeability was higher in older cats and suggests age-related changes in intestinal barrier structure and function. These findings highlight the need to further consider increased intestinal permeability as a cause of reduced nutrient digestibility in older cats, offering a new target for interventions to enhance their health and well-being.
Development and validation of an LC-MS/MS method for the quantification of oral-sugar probes in plasma to test small intestinal permeability and absorptive capacity in the domestic cat (Felis catus)
(Elsevier BV, 2024-07-15) Patterson K; Fraser K; Bernstein D; Bermingham EN; Weidgraaf K; Kate Shoveller A; Thomas D
A novel method for quantifying the concentration of lactulose, rhamnose, xylose, and 3-O-methylglucose (3-OMG) in cat plasma using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) was developed. Domestic male cats (n = 13) were orally dosed with a solution containing the four sugars to test the permeability and absorptive capacity of their intestinal barrier. Plasma samples were taken 3 h later and were prepared with acetonitrile (ACN), dried under N2, and reconstituted in 90 % ACN with 1 mM ammonium formate. Stable isotope labelled 13C standards for each analyte were used as internal standards. Chromatographic separation was conducted using a Phenomenex Luna NH2 column with a gradient elution system of deionized water and 90 % ACN with 1 mM ammonium formate at 300 µL/min for 13 min total analysis time. Recovery trials were conducted in triplicate over three days with RSD values (%) for each day ranging from 1.2 to 1.4 for lactulose, 5.4 - 6.0 for rhamnose, 3.3 - 5.5 for xylose, and 2.6 - 5.6 for 3-OMG. Inter-day variations for each analyte were not different (p > 0.05). Limit of detection and quantification were 0.2 and 0.7 µg/mL for lactulose, 0.8 and 2.4 µg/mL for rhamnose, 0.6 and 1.8 µg/mL for xylose, and 0.3 and 1.1 µg/mL for 3-OMG, respectively. Plasma sugar concentrations recovered from cats were above the limit of quantification and below the highest calibration standard, validating the use of this method to test intestinal permeability and absorptive capacity in cats.