Preliminary Study on Urine Chemistry and Protein Profile in Cows and Heifers

Abstract

Urinalysis offers important clinical information regarding not only the kidney function but also about the general health status of an organism. The aims of this research were to obtain preliminary data on urine chemistry and electrophoretic protein profile from cows and heifers, to compare electrophoretic profiles of not pregnant with pregnant animals and to evaluate their changes as the pregnancy progresses. Eight heifers and six cows were included in the study and 97 urine samples were collected. Complete urinalysis was performed and urinary proteins were separated by electrophoresis. Considering the pregnancy as a source of variability, significant differences were reported between pregnant and not pregnant heifers for the urine specific gravity (P=0.005), urine total proteins (P=0.009) and urine total proteins to urine creatinine ratio (UPC) (P=0.008). The majority of urine samples analysed in this study showed common protein bands. A mean of protein bands of 17±3 was detected in heifers, while a mean of 13±3 protein bands was recorded in cows. The putative proteins were uromodulin, transferrin, albumin, heavy and light chains of immunoglobulins. The comparison between pregnant and not pregnant animals showed qualitative differences, with the absence of three bands in not pregnant cows including the putative alpha-fetoprotein. In conclusion, urinalysis is an economical and a non-invasive diagnostic protocol, which should be routinely used for the clinical evaluation of large animals. The data reported in the present study could be considered suggestive of healthy animals and they confirmed those previously reported in the literature