Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Interleukin-31 levels in blood and spinal fluid of dogs
By Lemke, Laura et al.·Published in BMC veterinary research·2023·Department of Small Animal Medicine and Surgery, Germany·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Interleukin-31 in serum and cerebrospinal fluid of dogs with syringomyelia.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs with syringomyelia, a condition that can cause pain and increased itching, had their blood and spinal fluid tested for a protein called Interleukin-31 (IL-31). The results showed that dogs with syringomyelia had higher levels of IL-31 compared to healthy dogs, but these levels did not seem to be linked to the itching or pain symptoms. This suggests that while IL-31 is present, it may not be the cause of the discomfort in these dogs, and other health issues might be influencing the results. Further investigation is needed to understand the relationship between IL-31 and the symptoms of syringomyelia.
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Abstract
BACKGROUND: Syringomyelia is a spinal cord cavity containing cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)-like fluid. If syringomyelia asymmetrically involves the dorsal horn grey matter of the spinal cord, affected dogs show increased signs of dysesthesia and neuropathic pain, like increased itching behaviour. In the dorsal horn, amongst others, receptors for Interleukin-31 (IL-31) can be found. IL-31 is one of the main cytokines involved in the pathogenesis of pruritus in atopic dermatitis in different species. This study investigates suspected elevated levels of IL-31 in serum and CSF of dogs showing signs of pain or increased itching behaviour related to syringomyelia. The IL-31 were measured in archived samples (52 serum and 35 CSF samples) of dogs with syringomyelia (n = 48), atopic dermatitis (n = 3) and of healthy control dogs (n = 11) using a competitive canine IL-31 ELISA. RESULTS: Mean serum IL-31 level in dogs with syringomyelia was 150.1 pg/ml (n = 39), in dogs with atopic dermatitis 228.3 pg/ml (n = 3) and in healthy dogs 80.7 pg/ml (n = 10). Mean CSF IL-31 value was 146.3 pg/ml (n = 27) in dogs with syringomyelia and 186.2 pg/ml (n = 8) in healthy dogs. Individual patients with syringomyelia (especially dogs with otitis media or otitis media and interna or intervertebral disc herniation) showed high IL-31 levels in serum and CSF samples, but the difference was not statistically significant. IL-31 serum and CSF levels did not differ significantly in dogs with syringomyelia with or without itching behaviour and with or without signs of pain. CONCLUSION: Based on this study, increased IL-31 levels seem not to be correlated with itching behaviour or signs of pain in dogs with syringomyelia, but might be caused by other underlying diseases.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37993920/