Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Filaggrin 2 levels in dogs with atopic dermatitis
By Villalobos, Wendie Roldan et al.·Published in Veterinary dermatology·2025·Department of Veterinary Medicine, Brazil·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Evaluation of filaggrin 2 expression in dogs with atopic dermatitis before and after oclacitinib maleate administration.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs with atopic dermatitis (a skin allergy causing itching and inflammation) were treated with a medication called oclacitinib maleate to see if it would help improve their skin condition. The dogs took the medication for 30 days, and skin samples were taken before and after treatment. Results showed that the medication helped increase the expression of a protein important for skin barrier function, suggesting it improved the dogs' skin health. Overall, the dogs experienced less inflammation and better skin condition after treatment.
People also search for: dog itching treatment · oclacitinib for dog skin allergies · atopic dermatitis in dogs
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Canine atopic dermatitis (cAD) is a chronic, inflammatory, multifactorial and pruritic disease. The presence of skin barrier impairment (e.g. filaggrin alterations), along with abnormal immune responses, can negatively impact cutaneous barrier function. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the filaggrin 2 (FLG2) expression in atopic dogs before and after the administration of oclacitinib maleate. ANIMALS: Sixteen privately owned dogs with a diagnosis of cAD and 10 healthy control dogs. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Oclacitinib maleate monotherapy at 0.5 mg/kg, orally, twice-daily for the first 14 days and once-daily for 16 additional days, was administered to the atopic dogs. Skin biopsies from lesional and nonlesional skin were obtained from atopic dogs on Day(D)0 and D30 and from the same anatomical locations from the control group on D0. Immunohistochemical investigation was performed using a primary custom-made anti-canine-filaggrin 2 polyclonal antibody. Immunolabelled slides were scanned and FLG2 expression was measured. Data were analysed and a p-value ≤0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: There was a higher FLG2 expression in control skin when compared with atopic skin (lesional and nonlesional) on D0 (p = 0.033). FLG2 expression comparison between control and D30 (nonlesional) did not show a significant difference (p = 0.509). A significant increase in FLG2 expression in atopic nonlesional skin on D30 compared with nonlesional skin on D0 was also observed (p = 0.014). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Oclacitinib maleate could have a positive impact on cutaneous barrier structure, improving FLG2 expression by decreasing inflammation and cutaneous trauma.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40042058/