Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
VEGF-A and CCL2 levels in dogs with airway and lung fibrosis diseases
By Niinikoski, I et al.·Published in Research in veterinary science·2022·Department of Equine and Small Animal Medicine·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Evaluation of VEGF-A and CCL2 in dogs with brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome or canine idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and in normocephalic dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of brachycephalic dogs, including English Bulldogs and French Bulldogs, were studied for breathing problems related to a condition called brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome (BOAS). Researchers found that these dogs had higher levels of certain inflammatory markers in their blood compared to healthy dogs. In particular, they noted that older bulldogs had lower levels of one of these markers, VEGF-A, over time. The study also confirmed that West Highland White Terriers with a lung condition called canine idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (CIPF) had elevated levels of another marker, CCL2. This information could help veterinarians better understand and treat breathing issues in these breeds.
People also search for: dog breathing problems · English Bulldog BOAS treatment · West Highland White Terrier lung disease
Abstract
Brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome (BOAS) and canine idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (CIPF) of West Highland White Terriers (WHWTs) often cause intermittent or chronic hypoxemia. Our objective was to evaluate serum and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) concentrations of hypoxemia-related proinflammatory mediators vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A) and chemokine (CC motif) ligand 2 (CCL2) in brachycephalic dogs (BDs) and WHWTs with and without CIPF. Additionally, effects of BOAS severity and ageing on these mediators were assessed. 114 BDs (28 English Bulldogs (EBs), 37 French Bulldogs, 49 Pugs), 16 WHWTs with CIPF, 26 healthy WHWTs, and 39 normocephalic control dogs were included. Fifty-four BDs were re-examined after two to three years. Bead-based immunoassay was used for proinflammatory mediator measurements. Compared with controls, significantly higher serum concentrations of VEGF-A were seen in EBs (P = 0.009) and of CCL2 in CIPF and healthy WHWTs (P < 0.001; P = 0.002). BALF samples were available from controls, EBs, and WHWTs. VEGF-A was significantly lower in EBs (P < 0.001) and in CIPF and healthy WHWTs (P = 0.006; P = 0.007) and CCL2 was higher in CIPF WHWTs (P = 0.01) compared with controls. Between visits, only serum VEGF-A significantly decreased in BDs (P < 0.001), but breed, BOAS severity, or its change had no significant effect. In conclusion, in EBs with BOAS proinflammatory changes in VEGF-A were detected in both serum and BALF. Ageing reduced serum VEGF-A in BDs. In WHWTs, our results confirmed earlier findings of CCL2 as an important biomarker for CIPF.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36183612/