Assessment of serotonin in serum, plasma, and platelets of aggressive dogs

León, M. ; Rosado, B. (Universidad de Zaragoza) ; García-Belenguer, S. (Universidad de Zaragoza) ; Chacón, G. ; Villegas, A. (Universidad de Zaragoza) ; Palacio, J. (Universidad de Zaragoza)

Resumen: Canine aggression is the most common reason for the referral of dogs to behavior practices. In addition, dog bites represent an important problem for public health and animal welfare. The serotonergic system is believed to play an important role in modulating aggression. The aim of the present study was (1) to assess the suitability of different types of blood samples for measuring circulating serotonin in canine clinical studies, and (2) to investigate the relationship between the serotonergic system and canine aggression. The assessment of serotonin was simultaneously carried out in serum, plasma, and platelets of 28 aggressive and 10 nonaggressive dogs with an enzyme immunoassay technique. The mean serotonin concentration in aggressive dogs was significantly lower than in nonaggressive dogs in all the assayed samples. These findings suggest an inverse relationship between the activity of the serotonergic system and canine aggression. Considering the simplicity of the methodology, the authors propose sampling serum as the most suitable method for measuring circulating serotonin in dogs.

Idioma: Inglés

DOI: 10.1016/j.jveb.2012.01.005

Año: 2012

Publicado en: Journal of Veterinary Behavior 7, 6 (2012), 348-352
ISSN: 1558-7878

Factor impacto JCR: 1.653 (2012)

Categ. JCR: VETERINARY SCIENCES rank: 27 / 142 = 0.19 (2012) - Q1 - T1
Categ. JCR: BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES rank: 40 / 49 = 0.816 (2012) - Q4 - T3

Tipo y forma: Article (PostPrint)

Área (Departamento): Área Medicina y Cirugía Animal (Dpto. Patología Animal)