Albumin shows promise as treatment for syndrome
BY KIRSTEN ANDERSONSPARK PROGRAM
Capillary leak syndrome, which strikes both animals and humans, is a sometimes-fatal condition that can occur following severe and widespread inflammation. Blood vessels become “leaky” and allow fluid to accumulate in the surrounding tissues.
Now, Ontario Veterinary College researchers are looking into whether a natural biological product may prove beneficial in treating companion animals with capillary leak syndrome.
Profs. Karol Mathews and Stephanie Nykamp of the Department of Clinical Studies are evaluating the use of albumin — a protein found in the blood of all animals and humans — to treat dogs suffering from the syndrome.
Capillary leak syndrome occurs when severe inflammation is brought on by trauma or illness. In response, damaged cells release molecules called cytokines, which act as internal signals to recruit the biological products needed to repair the damaged cells.
But cytokines can also trigger the cells lining the capillaries to contract. This can cause fluid from the blood to leak into surrounding tissues, resulting in swelling. And although cytokines are a necessary response to injury or illness, their effects can be detrimental — and even life-threatening — if they occur throughout the body.
“For example, if these leaks occur in critical areas such as the lungs, the animal may have difficulty breathing,” says Mathews.
That's where albumin comes in. Albumin has many important roles in the blood, including maintaining pressure in the blood vessels so that fluid blood components don't leak out. In cases where capillaries become leaky, albumin can actually act as a “plug,” helping to minimize the loss of fluid into the surrounding tissue.
Mathews and Nykamp want to determine where albumin travels when administered to an animal. To do this, they will use specially labelled albumin that can be traced as it makes its way through the body.
So far, the treatment looks promising. Early indications from OVC have shown encouraging results in more than 200 critically ill animals that have received albumin treatment. The full study will initially use healthy dogs. First, the researchers must trace the path of albumin in the blood vessels of a normal, healthy animal.
From there, critically ill dogs will undergo treatment as normal but will receive labelled albumin so that Mathews and Nykamp can determine how effectively administered albumin can plug the leaky vessels.
If this treatment is successful, says Mathews, veterinarians may have a new tool to treat dogs with capillary leak syndrome.
This study is sponsored by OVC's Pet Trust.
