Serum total bile acids correlate with blood biochemical parameters in minks (Mustela vison schreber, 1777) under fatty liver degeneration and toxic hepatitis

Currently, quantification of serum bile acids is deemed a useful addition but not an alternative to diagnostic tests for detection of subclinical hepatobiliary pathologies. This is due to the lack of data about association between these parameters and reliable assessments of their validity both among themselves and with regard to the final diagnostic task. In the presented work, for the first time, a correlation was established between the total bile acids in serum and classical biochemical indicators of the hepatobiliary system state in its most common pathologies, the fatty degeneration and toxic hepatitis. Our purpose was to reveal these correlations and to evaluate the serum bile acids as a hepatobiliary state predictor. Experiments were performed in 2022 at the Mermeriny fur farm (Mermeriny village, Tver Procince, Kalininsky District). Palomino mink ( Mustela vison Schreber, 1777) aged 1 year were model animals. Based on physical examination and anamnesis collected during clinical examination carried out at the fur farm, 10 females and 10 males with fatty liver degeneration were selected. Clinically healthy animals (10 females and 10 males, age) were a parity group. Toxic hepatitis was induced with ethylene chloride. Blood was sampled by cutting the tip of the tail. Total bile acids were detected using a BSBE bile acid test kit (BSBE, China). The contents of total protein, albumin, total bilirubin, alkaline phosphatase, glucose, cholesterol, total bile acids, aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase (with calculation of the de Ritis coefficient) were measured (a URIT 8021A VET biochemical analyzer, URIT Medical Electronic Group Co. , Ltd, China). To calculate correlations of total bile acids with common blood diagnostic parameters, we used the Kendall rank correlation t coefficient and, to confirm the hypothesis of the relationship between the indicators, the Goodman-Kruskal rank correlation g coefficient calculated by the method of proportional reduction of correlation errors. It has been established that in palomino minks, pathologies of the hepatobiliary system of various origins led to an increase in serum bile acids, 2-2.5-fold under fatty hepatosis and 4-7-fold in case of toxic hepatitis. In male minks’ with fatty hepatosis, there were stable positive correlations of the serum bile acid concentration with alkaline phosphatase (𝜏 = 0.57; γ = 51 %), cholesterol (𝜏 = 0.62; γ = 60 %), and stable negative correlations with the de Ritis coefficient (𝜏 = -0.72; γ = -70 %). In females, direct correlations occurred with total protein (𝜏 = 0.64; γ = 59 %), albumin (𝜏 = 0.67; γ = 62 %), alkaline phosphatase (𝜏 = 0.60; γ = 64 %), cholesterol (𝜏 = 0.68; γ = 74 %) and stable negative correlations with de Ritis coefficient (𝜏 = -0.76; γ = -72 %). In both females and males with toxic hepatitis, serum total bile acids were directly associated with total protein (𝜏 ♂ = 0.73; γ ♂ = 74 %; ♀ = 0.69; γ ♀ = 67 %), albumins (𝜏 ♂ = 0.75; γ ♂ = 71 %; ♀ = 0.58; γ ♀ = 53 %), alkaline phosphatase (𝜏 ♂ = 0.54; γ ♂ = 51 %; ♀ = 0.59; γ ♀ = 53 %), and the de Ritis coefficient (𝜏 ♂ = -0.82; γ ♂ = 58 %; ♀ = -0.84; γ ♀ = -79 %). Additionally, females showed a direct correlation of serum total bile acids with total bilirubin (𝜏 = 0.81; γ = 91 %). In both calculation algorithm, the rank correlation values coincide.