Evaluation of anti-desmoglein-2 antibodies and cardiac biomarkers in Boxer dogs with arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy.

NT-proBNP, HS-cTnI, and cTnI are reliable biomarkers for ARVC in Boxers; anti-desmoglein-2 antibodies lack clinical utility.

This prospective cross-sectional study evaluated 52 Boxer dogs (28 with arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy [ARVC] and 24 controls) to assess the diagnostic utility of anti-desmoglein-2 antibodies and cardiac biomarkers. ARVC diagnosis was confirmed via Holter monitoring (>300 ventricular premature complexes [VPCs]/24h or documented ventricular tachycardia). Anti-desmoglein-2 antibodies, measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and Western blot, showed no significant differences between groups and poor discriminatory ability (AUC = 0.534-0.600). In contrast, NT-proBNP (AUC = 0.856), HS-cTnI (AUC = 0.805), and cTnI (AUC = 0.795) demonstrated excellent discriminatory performance and positive correlations with VPC burden. These three cardiac biomarkers are clinically useful for ARVC detection in Boxers, whereas anti-desmoglein-2 antibodies lack diagnostic value. Study limitations include cross-sectional design, absence of pedigree data, and potential confounding from disease stage and therapy.

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