Advanced glycation end products in differently processed pet foods and the implications for companion animal disease

Course overview

Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) are a group of heterogenous compounds formed during heat driven non-enzymatic reactions between simple sugars and any compounds containing an amide group such as protein or nucleic acids. These are a subset of Maillard reaction products (MRPs) that have been identified in ultra-processed human foods and have been associated with several degenerative and inflammatory diseases. These AGEs may be divided into dietary (dAGEs) that are exogenous as they come from food or described as endogenous when they are formed as part of normal physiologic processes in the body. The receptor for AGEs (RAGE) has several isoforms which mediate cellular and serum AGE activity. Cellular RAGE binds to AGEs to initiate and sustain inflammation within cells while soluble RAGE acts as a scavenger to remove circulating AGEs. The objective of this study was to quantify AGEs in differently processed pet foods (two ultra-processed- canned and kibble; one moderately processed- air-dried; and one mildly cooked), determine the effect on serum and urine AGE concentration when these foods were fed to healthy dogs and investigate the effect on serum RAGE concentration in response to the different processed diets. All AGE concentrations were measured using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry and RAGE was quantified using a commercially available kit. Total dAGEs was highest in the canned food and in the serum of dogs when this food was fed. There was no difference in total urine AGEs or serum RAGE concentration. This study was exploratory in nature, serving as the foundation for future prospective studies and identifies the domestic dog as a proposed animal model for human diseases related to consumption of differently processed foods.