Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Misoprostol treatment reduces itching in dogs with atopic dermatitis
By Olivry, Thierry et al.·Published in Veterinary dermatology·2003·Department of Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: A randomized controlled trial of misoprostol monotherapy for canine atopic dermatitis: effects on dermal cellularity and cutaneous tumour necrosis factor-alpha.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 20 dogs with atopic dermatitis (a skin allergy causing itching and inflammation) was treated with either a placebo or misoprostol, a medication that can help with skin issues. After three weeks, the dogs receiving misoprostol showed about a 30% improvement in their itching and skin lesions compared to those on the placebo. While the medication helped reduce symptoms, it did not significantly affect certain skin cell counts or inflammatory markers. Overall, misoprostol showed some benefit for dogs with atopic dermatitis, making them more comfortable.
People also search for: dog itching treatment · atopic dermatitis in dogs · misoprostol for dog skin allergies
Abstract
In this blinded randomized placebo-controlled trial, 20 dogs with atopic dermatitis (AD) were given placebo (8 dogs) or misoprostol (12 dogs) at 5 micro g kg-1, orally, three times daily for 3 weeks. Administration of the active drug, but not of placebo, led to a significant decrease in lesional and pruritus scores. The median reduction from baseline of both scores was approximately 30%. Misoprostol therapy did not lead to decreases of dermal cell counts or skin tumour necrosis factor (TNF)alpha mRNA copy numbers that were significantly different from those of placebo. Skin TNFalpha protein production, assessed using indirect immunofluorescence, decreased or remained unchanged in dogs receiving misoprostol. In contrast, post treatment TNFalpha fluorescence scores were higher in all but two dogs given placebo. The changes from baseline of TNFalpha fluorescence scores did not correlate significantly with those of lesional or pruritus indices. These observations confirm the modest efficacy of misoprostol for treatment of canine AD and suggest that its mild anti-allergic effects are not associated with either inhibition of inflammatory cell emigration or TNFalpha production.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12603684/