Endocrine, immune and enzyme responses in healthy and sick animals

Research program Endocrine, immune and enzymatic responses in healthy and sick animals is aimed to gain knowledge of animal responses in physiological, experimental and disease states from the cellular level to the organism and to translate this knowledge into practice. The proposed program is intended to further develop, upgrade and expand basic, comparative and translational clinical research. Pillar-I encompasses basic studies evaluating the genetic predisposition to certain diseases and comparative morphological analysis of skeletal muscle important for the understanding of cellular mechanisms of muscle tissue formation in relation to meat quality. We will also continue to investigate various membrane receptors including homologues of the human Epstein-Barr virus i.e. the porcine lymphotropic herpesvirus receptors (PLHV 1-3) that are associated with the emergence of lymphoproliferative diseases. Through physiological and toxicological studies, we will continue to study the regulation of fluid dynamics and acid-base balance in the lung capillaries and physiological responses of the animals to an incremental physical load. The effects and mechanisms of natural and synthetic molecules that have a wide preclinical therapeutic potential will also be studied. The focus will be on substances that have anti-acetylcholinesterase activity and on certain extracts of plants containing tannins or thymol. Sexual differentiation studies will include evaluation of sexual dimorphism and the effect of sex hormones in combination with long-term stress exposure on brain function, with an emphasis on behavioral outcomes in adulthood and the effect of neural stem cells transplantation into the hippocampus in mice. Pillar-II is aimed to bridge gap between basic research and clinical practice. We want to emphasize the potential impact of the translational research and our ability to respond to current trends in biomedical research by integrating companion animals and testing capabilities for a range of advanced therapies including stem cell–derived therapy and immunotherapy in the fields of veterinary oncology and dentistry. Pillar-II also encompasses the continuation of oxidative stress research, in particular monitoring the progression of heart failure in dogs and the effect of dietary antioxidant supplementation. Immune response to food containing alternative sources of proteins and the prevalence of canine leishmaniosis in Slovenia and indirectly its potential threat to human health will also be evaluated. Further improvement of semen preservation technology, identification of new biomarkers for prediction of semen quality after storage and noninvasive insemination techniques will contribute to the efficient reproduction in domestic animals.

The main scope of the research group is to carry out cutting-edge basic research that will be fundamental for the advancement of science and to plan/perform the applied research. The results obtained contribute to the advancement of both veterinary medicine and the biomedical field. The results can also be successfully implemented in daily use, i.e., optimization/development of diagnostic and prognostic markers, as well as therapeutic methods and agents. With regard to the reduction of experimental animal use, the evaluation and use of animal models to study naturally occurring diseases (clinical cases) is of utmost importance. These data are also of great value in comparative medicine. The contemporary state of the research field enables us to participate in international research projects and allows us to engage in scientific networking with top scientists and research institutions, as well as leading pharmaceutical companies. These successful international collaborations result in high-profile joint publications, organization of international scientific meetings, the ability to translate basic science into practice, and the opportunity to exchange postgraduate students.

High quality research that is both published in major international scientific journals and presented at international scientific and professional meetings contributes to the advancement of the veterinary profession and the promotion of Slovenia. Activities are aimed to directly benefit socio-economic development and the general public, including education/trainings, textbooks and manuals for students targeting communities and the general public, analytical testing services in accredited laboratories, and guidelines for the ministries. Specifically, members of the research program are involved in university graduate and postgraduate study, as well as long term education programs as lecturers and supervisors of PhD and graduate students. In this way, they contribute to the quality and improvement of the teaching process and to the popularization of the veterinary profession/research work among graduate students and the general public. The research program also has the ability to implement science into laboratory and clinical practice, as is evident by the number of applied projects that take place outside the funding scheme of Slovenian Research Agency; i.e., implementation of target research and development projects; and regulated tasks for the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food and other contract work for customers, particularly in the area of reproduction of domestic animals. Both improvements on the existence or the development of new diagnostic, prognostic and therapeutic approaches increase the competency of laboratory testing, the competitiveness of our clinical services, and also contribute to animal welfare. The development of novel diagnostic methods and biotechnological protocols has the potential to lead to patent proposals. Data regarding factors that influence the development of perioperative complications can be used for the development of new protocols for inpatient care, which can benefit both veterinary and human patients. The knowledge obtained can also serve as a basis for guideline preparations regarding animal selection for specific genotypes that can be used in breeding programs, as well as plans of action in case of disease breakout (e.g., transmissible spongiform encephalopathies). A cornerstone in the advancement of agriculture in EU is food safety. The results of our selected studies will be used to prepare guidelines for the development of the future dairy industry in Slovenia to ensure safety of milk and dairy products, with a focus on more conventional dairy. Similarly, studies on the biological characteristics of porcine muscle fibers, specifically the heavy myosin chain-based hypertrophy potential of muscle fibers that affect meat quality, may be used to plan better breeding programs that will select breeds of pigs that can be raised for specific purposes. This may prove the autochthonous pig breed “krškopoljski prašič” to be of superior quality for selected purposes. Additionally, such breed selection together with the creation of a sperm bank of Slovenian autochthonous and endangered animal species is highly relevant for raising public awareness about autochthonous breeds, environmental protection, and the maintenance of biodiversity.