Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Foxp3 immune cells in intestines of healthy and sick dogs
By Junginger, Johannes et al.·Published in Veterinary research·2012·Institute of Pathology, Germany·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Immunohistochemical investigation of Foxp3 expression in the intestine in healthy and diseased dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs with intestinal issues, including 16 suffering from Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), were studied to understand the role of certain immune cells in their gut. The research found that healthy dogs had a specific type of immune cell (Tregs) in lower numbers compared to those with IBD, suggesting that a lack of these cells might contribute to the disease. Interestingly, dogs with intestinal worm infections had higher levels of these immune cells. This study indicates that managing immune responses in the gut could be important for treating IBD in dogs.
People also search for: dog inflammatory bowel disease symptoms · dog gut health immune cells · treatment for dog IBD
Abstract
Intestinal immune regulation including development of oral tolerance is of great importance for the maintenance of intestinal homeostasis. Concerning this, regulatory T cells (Tregs) occupy a pivotal role in cell-mediated immunosuppression. Dysregulation of mucosal immunology leading to an abnormal interaction with commensal bacteria is suggested to play a key role in the pathogenesis of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) in men and dogs. The aim of this study was to characterise the expression of Foxp3 in the normal canine gut of 18 dogs (mean age: 6.03 years), in 16 dogs suffering from IBD (mean age: 5.05 years), and of 6 dogs with intestinal nematode infection (mean age: 0.87 years) using immunohistochemistry. In the duodenum, Tregs in healthy dogs declined from villi (median: 10.67/62 500 μm2) to crypts (median: 1.89/62 500 μm2). Tregs were further increased in the villi of middle-aged dogs (median: 18.92/62 500 μm2) in contrast to juvenile (median: 3.50/62 500 μm2) and old (median: 9.56/62 500 μm2) individuals. Compared to healthy controls, animals suffering from IBD revealed reduced numbers of Tregs in duodenal villi (median: 4.13/62 500 μm2). Dogs with intestinal nematode infection displayed increased numbers of Tregs (median: 21.06/62 500 μm2) compared to healthy animals.Age-related changes indicate a progressive establishment of oral tolerance and immunosenescence in the canine elderly. The results further suggest that a defect in Treg homeostasis may be involved in the pathogenesis of canine IBD. In contrast, increased numbers of Tregs in the duodenum may be due to nematode infection.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22440243/