Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog itching tested with skin IL-31 and oclacitinib treatment
By Pearson, Jason et al.·Published in Veterinary Sciences·2023·College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA, United States·View original on Crossref →
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Original publication title: Establishment of an Intradermal Canine IL-31-Induced Pruritus Model to Evaluate Therapeutic Candidates in Atopic Dermatitis
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of healthy dogs experienced itching after receiving an injection of a substance called interleukin 31 (IL-31), which is known to trigger itchiness. Researchers observed that this injection caused significant itching behavior in the dogs, lasting for several hours. When the dogs were given an oral medication called oclacitinib, the itching was greatly reduced, showing that this treatment can help manage itchiness caused by conditions like atopic dermatitis (a common skin allergy in dogs). This study suggests that oclacitinib is effective in reducing itchiness in dogs when triggered by IL-31.
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Abstract
Pruritic models in healthy dogs utilizing intravenous administration of interleukin 31 (IL-31) bypass the “natural” itch sensation in AD, which is initiated by pruriceptive primary afferent neurons in the skin. This study aimed to evaluate the immediate/delayed pruritus responses and the pruritic behaviors observed in an intradermal IL-31-induced pruritic model of healthy dogs and the anti-pruritic effect of oclacitinib on said model. In Phase 1, all the dogs were randomized and video-recorded for 300 min after intradermal canine recombinant IL-31 injections (1.75 µg/kg) and vehicle (phosphate-buffered saline) injections. In Phase 2, all the dogs received oral oclacitinib (0.4–0.6 mg/kg, twice daily for 4 consecutive days and once daily on day 5), with the intradermal IL-31 injection performed on day 5. Two blinded investigators reviewed the pruritic behaviors in all the video recordings. Intradermal IL-31 administration to healthy dogs caused a significant increase in the total (p = 0.0052) and local (p = 0.0003) seconds of pruritic behavior compared to the vehicle control. Oral oclacitinib administration significantly reduced the total (p = 0.0011) and local (p = 0.0156) intradermal IL-31-induced pruritic seconds; there was no significant difference in pruritic seconds between the vehicle and oclacitinib within the IL-31 groups. Significant delayed pruritic responses at 150–300 min after IL-31 injections were observed, and intradermal IL-31 failed to induce acute itch (first 30 min). Intradermal injection of IL-31 induces delayed itch responses in dogs that are diminished by the effect of oclacitinib, an oral JAK inhibitor.
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Search related cases →Original publication on Crossref: https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci10050329