Serum metabolomic analysis of the dose-response effect of dietary choline in overweight male cats fed at maintenance energy requirements

Alexandra Rankovic; Hannah Godfrey; Caitlin E Grant; Anna K Shoveller; Marica Bakovic; Gordon Kirby; Adronie Verbrugghe

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0280734

Serum metabolomic analysis of the dose-response effect of dietary choline in overweight male cats fed at maintenance energy requirements

PLoS One. 2023 Jan 23;18(1):e0280734. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0280734. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Alexandra Rankovic¹, Hannah Godfrey², Caitlin E Grant², Anna K Shoveller³, Marica Bakovic⁴, Gordon Kirby¹, Adronie Verbrugghe²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Biomedical Sciences, Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada.
² Department of Clinical Studies, Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada.
³ Department of Animal Biosciences, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada.
⁴ Department of Human Health and Nutritional Sciences, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada.

Abstract

Choline participates in methyl group metabolism and has been recognized for its roles in lipid metabolism, hepatic health and muscle function in various species. Data regarding the impacts of choline on feline metabolic pathways are scarce. The present study investigated how choline intake affects the metabolomic profile of overweight cats fed at maintenance energy. Overweight (n = 14; body condition score:6-8/9) male adult cats were supplemented with five doses of choline in a 5x5 Latin Square design. Cats received a daily dose of choline on extruded food (3620 mg choline/kg diet) for three weeks at maintenance energy requirements (130 kcal/kgBW0.4). Doses were based on body weight (BW) and the daily recommended allowance (RA) for choline for adult cats (63 mg/kg BW0.67). Treatment groups included: Control (no additional choline, 1.2 x NRC RA, 77 mg/kg BW0.67), 2 x NRC RA (126 mg/kg BW0.67), 4 x NRC RA (252 mg/kg BW0.67), 6 x RA (378 mg/kg BW0.67), and 8 x NRC RA (504 mg/kg BW0.67). Serum was collected after an overnight fast at the end of each treatment period and analyzed for metabolomic parameters through nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and direct infusion mass spectrometry (DI-MS). Data were analyzed using GLIMMIX, with group and period as random effects, and dose as the fixed effect. Choline up to 8 x NRC RA was well-tolerated. Choline at 6 and 8 x NRC RA resulted in greater concentrations of amino acids and one-carbon metabolites (P < 0.05) betaine, dimethylglycine and methionine. Choline at 6 x NRC RA also resulted in greater phosphatidylcholine and sphingomyelin concentrations (P < 0.05). Supplemental dietary choline may be beneficial for maintaining hepatic health in overweight cats, as it may increase hepatic fat mobilization and methyl donor status. Choline may also improve lean muscle mass in cats. More research is needed to quantify how choline impacts body composition.

Copyright: © 2023 Rankovic et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Animal Feed / analysis
Animals
Betaine / metabolism
Body Weight
Cats
Choline* / metabolism
Diet / veterinary
Male
Overweight* / veterinary

Substances

Choline
Betaine

Grants and funding

This research was supported by a Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) Collaborative Research and Development grant (CRDPJ #472710-16), in partnership with Elmira Pet Products (Elmira, ON, Canada). The choline chloride supplement was kindly provided by Balchem (New Hampton, NY, United States of America). The funders had no role in the study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the present manuscript.