Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Effects of prednisolone and ursodeoxycholic acid on cat liver disease
By Otte, Corma Ma et al.·Published in Journal of feline medicine and surgery·2014·Department of Clinical Sciences of Companion Animals, Netherlands·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: A morphological and immunohistochemical study of the effects of prednisolone or ursodeoxycholic acid on liver histology in feline lymphocytic cholangitis.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of cats with lymphocytic cholangitis (a liver condition) was treated with either prednisolone or ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) to see which worked better. The cats receiving prednisolone showed a greater reduction in liver inflammation compared to those treated with UDCA. However, both treatments did not show significant differences in other liver cell types or the level of liver scarring. Overall, prednisolone appeared to be more effective in managing inflammation in these cats.
People also search for: cat liver disease treatment · feline lymphocytic cholangitis medication · prednisolone for cats liver inflammation
Abstract
Feline lymphocytic cholangitis (LC) has been commonly treated with prednisolone, and more recently with ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA). Previously, we found that prednisolone treatment resulted in a statistically longer survival time than treatment with UDCA. In order to explain this difference, we compared the effects of prednisolone and UDCA treatment on hepatic tissue by evaluating consecutive liver biopsies. Archival serial biopsy materials from cats with LC treated with prednisolone (n = 5) or UDCA (n = 4) were evaluated. We employed haematoxylin and eosin staining to evaluate inflammation, and reticulin staining for fibrosis. Immunohistochemical stainings for Ki-67, K19 (Cytokeratin 19) and α-smooth muscle actin were used to evaluate cell type-specific proliferation and activation of hepatic stellate cells. Inflammation decreased more in the group treated with prednisolone, while the number of cholangiocytes, progenitor cells and fibroblasts did not differ between the treatment groups. Additionally, no difference was found for the amount of fibrosis in both treatment groups.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24496321/