Dermatophagoides farinae-specific IgG subclass responses in atopic dogs undergoing allergen-specific immunotherapy |
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| Authors: | C C Hou T J Nuttall M J Day P B Hill |
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| Institution: | Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Fuchu, Tokyo, Japan;School of Veterinary Medicine, Chungnam National University, Taejon, Korea;Hokuai Animal Hospital, Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan;School of Veterinary Medicine, Rakuno Gakuen University, Eniwa, Hokkaido, Japan |
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| Abstract: | Atopic dermatitis (AD) is thought to be caused by immunologic abnormalities expressed as a Th1/Th2 cytokine imbalance in both humans and dogs. Several studies have focused on the therapeutic effects of IFNγ in human AD with successful results; however, the mechanism of action of IFNγ is not fully understood. We investigated the effect of recombinant canine interferon gamma (rCaIFNγ) on 10 dogs with AD and evaluated the ratio of IL-4 mRNA to IFNγ mRNA in peripheral blood mononuclear cells, serum total IgE levels, and histological changes in skin. After six injections of rCaIFNγ over a span of 2 weeks, seven of the 10 dogs showed improvement, and six of these seven dogs exhibited decreased IL-4:IFNγ mRNA ratios. Two of the three cases that did not improve had increased IL-4:IFNγ mRNA ratios. Total serum IgE levels were significantly decreased in nine of 10 cases. The number of IgE-positive cells detected by immunostaining and the number of mast cells in skin biopsy samples were decreased. A reduction of epidermal cell layers was demonstrated by histopathology after treatment. These results demonstrated that rCaIFNγ may be a novel safe and effective therapeutic option for the treatment of canine AD, and the mechanism of action of rCaIFNγ may be related to the modulation of Th2 cytokines to Th1 cytokines with the reduction of serum IgE production.
Funding: Self-funded. |
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