HAL Id: hal-00901329

HAL Id: hal-00901329

https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00901329

Submitted on 1 Jan 1981

HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access archive for the deposit and dissemination of sci- entific research documents, whether they are pub- lished or not. The documents may come from teaching and research institutions in France or abroad, or from public or private research centers.

L’archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, émanant des établissements d’enseignement et de recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires publics ou privés.

SERUM PROTEINS AND THEIR FRACTIONS IN THE TIMAHDITE SHEEP IN MOROCCO : VARIATIONS WITH AGE AND WITH LIVER OR

LUNG DISEASES

M. Kessabi, D. Lamnaouer

To cite this version:

M. Kessabi, D. Lamnaouer. SERUM PROTEINS AND THEIR FRACTIONS IN THE TIMAHDITE SHEEP IN MOROCCO : VARIATIONS WITH AGE AND WITH LIVER OR LUNG DISEASES.

Annales de Recherches Vétérinaires, INRA Editions, 1981, 12 (3), pp.233-237. �hal-00901329�

SERUM PROTEINS ^{AND THEIR} FRACTIONS IN THE TIMAHDITE SHEEP IN MOROCCO :

VARIATIONS WITH AGE AND WITH LIVER OR LUNG DISEASES

M. KESSABI D. LAMNAOUER

Institut

Agronomique

^et Vétérinaire Nassan //, Rabat

Agdal,

Maroc.

Résumé

PROTÉINES SÉRIQUES

ET LEURS FRACTIONS CHEZ LE MOUTON TIMAHDITE AU MAROC.

- Les

protéines sériques

^{totales et} leurs fractions ont été

analysées

^{chez les moutons « Timah-}

dite » du Maroc.

Les valeurs de ces

paramètres

chez 20 animaux adultes de 2 ans sont :

protéines

^{totales :}

64,2

±

1,6 g/I ;

albumine : 458 + 31

pmol/1 ; a-glob : 11,9

+

1,0 g/1 ; {3-glob : 6,2

±

1,6 g/1 y-glob : 14,7

±

2,3 g /

^1.

L’augmentation

^des

protéines sériques

^avec

l’âge

^est

particulièrement

due à l’accroissement des

globulines.

Chez les animaux atteints d’affections

pulmonaires

^ou

hépatiques,

^les

protéines

^tota-

les sont

augmentées.

^La concentration d’albumine est abaissée lors de la maladie

hépatique

alors que les

globulines

^{sont accrues lors} d’affections

pulmonaires

^et/ou

hépatiques.

In

sheep-breeding

ⁱⁿ

Morocco,

main

patho- logic

disturbances are due to

pulmonary strongylosis

^{or to}

hepatic

fasciolosis. Both affections need to be detected and treated so as to

improve

^the

performances

^of

sheep

herds. For such a purpose, total

proteins

^and their fractions can be used for

diagnostic

^or

prognostic

^uses.

Although protein electropho-

resis is not as sensitive and as

specific

^{as more}

modern

techniques

^{it can}

provide

^{useful and}

reliable data and can also

easily

^be

performed

in field stations in areas of extensive bree-

ding ;

^{moreover its cost is much lower.}

Thus, given

^the

special

conditions of Moroccan extensive

breeding,

^{we intended to}

determine reference values of serum

proteins

and their fractions in the Timahdite breed

(of sheep)

^{and to}

study

^their

physiological

^or

pathological variations,

for further

semiologic

uses in liver or

lung pathology prevailing

ⁱⁿ

Morocco.

Materials and Methods 1. Animals

Four groups of 20 animals

(mostly ^males)

were used for reference values : 6

months-old,

2

years-old,

^3-4

years-old

^{and more than 4}

years-old.

Influence of the season was studied in 18 animals out of which three

samples

^{were col-}

lected at the end of autumn, end of winter and middle of

spring.

A

sample

^{of blood was collected} in 2 year- old animals before

slaughter

and results

analy-

zed for 20 animals of each of the

following

groups : ^no

lesions,

^liver

lesions, lung lesions,

lesions of both organs.

2. Samples

Blood

samples

^{were collected in a}

dry

^tube.

After blood

clotting,

^the

sample

^{was centrifu-}

ged

^{for 15 min at 3000} g ; ^{serum was} then

separated

^and

analyzed.

3.

Analysis

Total

proteins

^were determined

by

^{use of} the biuret reaction in a UV 25 Beckman spec-

trophotometer.

^{Protein fractions were} separa- ted

by electrophoresis

^{on cellulose acetate}

(Phoroslide)

at 250 V for 20 min at

pH

⁼

8.6 ;

after

staining

with Ponceau

Red,

^{the densito-} metry ^{was achieved}

by

^{use of a}

Phoroscope

Mellare densitometer.

4. Post-mortem examination

As there is no standardized classification of

hepatic

^and

lung lesions,

^{we used the follo-}

wing

^{one :}

HL ―

Any large

^or

multiple

lesions of liver :

degeneration, congestion, cirrhosis,

^{fibrosis or}

sclerosis, cholangitis.

LL ―

Any

^{lesions of the}

lung

^with

generalized

inflammation :

usually pneumonia

^{or bron-}

chopneumonia.

LHL ― Lesions of both organs.

OL ― Either no lesion in liver or

lung

^or very small ones.

Results

A ― Reference values 1. Total

proteins :

1.1 ^- Reference values

according

^to age : The results of table 1 demonstrate that total

serum

proteins

increased with age. There ^was

no

significant

difference between 2

year-old

animals and 3-4

year-old

ones ; but younger and older animals had

respectively

^{lower and}

higher

^total

proteins.

1.2 ― Effects of the season :

Comparisons

of 18 animals of different ages

by

^{use of}

paired

^t-test showed that total _pro- teins were

significantly higher

^{(P <}

^0.05)

ⁱⁿ

spring

and in winter than in autumn.

2. Protein fractions :

Results of table 1 show that serum albumin

was not affected

by

age. On the

contrary glo-

bulins &horbar; more

especially and

^y

globulins &horbar;

increased with age whereas ^a

globulins slightly

decreased. This determined a decrease of both ratios

albumin/globulins

^{(A/G) and}

albumin/y globulins (A/yG).

B &horbar;

Patho%gical

alterations

In table

2,

^{it can first be} verified that control animals had total

proteins

^{and fractions similar}

to those in reference animals. In all animals

having

lesions of liver and/or

lung

^total

pro-

teins were

significantly higher

than in controls.

For

albumin,

^{increased values were obser-}

ved in the case of

lung

lesions whereas it was lower in the case of lesions of the liver and both organs.

Globulins are increased in each group, ^more

especially

^{in animals}

having

lesions of both liver and

lung.

Discussion

1. Reference ^values

As can be seen in table

3,

^{the total}

proteins

and fractions determined

by

^{Kuttler and Mar-}

ble

(1960)

^{in 4} month-old lambs

correspond

^to

our own results. ^{Moreover we can}

precise

^the

references of Kolb

(1965)

^who measured pro- teins in adult

sheep

^without

precising

^the

exact age. For

protein

^{fractions we cannot}

easily

compare ^our results with those of Kolb

(19651,

^{which are}

expressed

^{as a}

percentage.

Age

determined a

regular

increase in pro- teins due to an increase ⁱⁿ

globulins :

^{such an}

effect may be the consequence of various infections or infestations of the animals and agrees with the results of

Dimopoulos (1970)

and Irfan

(1967).

We observed

significant

differences of total

serum

proteins according

^{to the season : the}

influence of the nutrition status cannot be excluded as a basis of such

variations,

^{for the}

alimentary supply

^was

improved during

^the

period

examined : such results need

larger investigations

^to

precise

^the effects of nutri-

tion,

^season and also of pregnancy or lactation in females.

2.

Pathological

^variations

In each

pathological

process

investigated

we observed an increase in total

proteins

^{and a}

relatively important

increase in

y-globulins

determined

by

^the reaction of the

organism against

infections

(Gregoire, ^1972).

In liver processes ^a decrease of serum albu- min is noted : it may reflect ^a

lowering

^{of the}

hepatic synthesis

of this molecule as

already reported

in Fasciola

hepatica

infested

sheep by Banting

^{et aL}

^(1975).

In

lung lesions,

beside the increase of

globu- lins,

^we also observed a

paradoxical

^increase

of serum

albumin ;

^{thus A/G and}

A/yG

^ratios

are in the

physiologic

range.

In lesions of both

lung

^and

liver,

^the

hepatic

processes ^{seem to} dominate as albumin is lowered and

globulins

^{increased with an}

important

^{decrease of both}

^A/G

^and

A/yG

ratios.

Conclusion

Total

proteins

ⁱⁿ

sheep

^are increased in

pathologic

processes of liver and/or

lung.

^For

a

semiologic

purpose it is necessary ^to inter- pret the

serum-proteinogram

^to differentiate both affections. Such

results

of an easy and

cheap technique

could be used to evaluate the

degree

^of

hepatic

^or

lung

infection in a

larger

prospect ^of

epidemiologic

^or

prognostic

^stu-

dies,

ⁱⁿ

large

^{but extensive}

breeding

^units.

Accepted

^for

publication, August ^21st,

^1981.

Acknowledgments

The authors thank Prof. Rico and the mem-

bers of the Laboratoire de Biochimie-Ecole Vétérinaire de Toulouse who

kindly helped

them to

design

^and

perform

^this

experiment.

Summary

The serum

proteins

^and their fractions were

analyzed

ⁱⁿ the Moroccan « Timahdite

» sheep.

The values of those parameters ⁱⁿ 20 two

year-old

^adult animals were : total

proteins

64.2 + 1.6

g/I ;

^;

albumin

458+31 pmol/I ; a-glob

^{11.9 ± 1.0}

g/I ; (3-glob 6.2 +

^1.6

g/I ; y-glob

^{14.7 ± 2.3}

g/I.

The total

proteins

increase with _age is

particularly

^{due to an} increase of the

globulin

fractions. In animals with liver or

pulmonary

affections the total

proteins

^are increased. The amount of albu- min is lower in liver

diseases,

whereas the

globulin

^{fractions are increased in both}

pathological

processes.

References

BANTING A. DE LA, BOUCHAUD C., LE BARS H., MARTINEZ P., ^ROSE F., 1975. Etude de revolution des paramètres

sanguins

^{chez le mouton et le}

lapin

la suite d’une infestation artificielle avec Fasciola

h!patica.

Rev. Méd. Vét., 2, 249-270.

DIMOPOULOUS G.T., 1970. Plasma

proteins.

/n : KANEKO J.J., ^CORNELIUS C.E., Clinical

biochemistry

of domestic animals. 2 ed., vol. 1, pp 97-125, Academic Press, ^{New York.}

GREGOIRE P.E., 1972. Biochimie

pathologique.

1180 pages, Librairie Maloine, Paris.

IRFAN M., ^1967. The

electrophoretic

pattern of serum

proteins

in normal animals. Res. Vet. Sci.,

8,

137-142.

KOLB E., ^1965. Constituants

organiques

du plasma : ^les protéines

plasmatiques.

^{/n :}

Physiologie

^{des ani-}

maux

domestiques, 362-365,

^{1 vol.}

Vigot,

^Paris.

KUTTLER K.L., ^MARBLE D.W., 1960. Serum

protein changes

^{in lambs with}

naturally acquired

nematode infection. Am. J. Vet. Res., 21, ^445-448.