Background: Canine atopic dermatitis (CAD) is a paradigmatic chronic inflammatory disease with wide spectrum of the clinical phenotype, disease progression and treatment responses1-4. A new approach merging both clinical phenotypes with biomarkers (endotypes) will be needed to best exploit their potential significance for CAD based and refine its management.
Objectives: To describe heterogeneity in CAD via serum biomarker profiles.
Materials and Methods: Thirty-two healthy French bulldogs and forty-four French bulldogs diagnosed with CAD were enrolled. Canine specific multiplex immune-assay was used to measure a total of 6 plasma cytokines (IFN-γ, Il-2, Il-6, Il-10, Il-18, TNF-α). Mean cytokine concentrations of healthy and CAD patients were compared. After correlation within CAD group and clinical parameters (sex, age, CADESI score, PVAS score, conjunctivitis, allergy type and allergy pattern) were performed. Statistical analysis was done using One-way ANOVA.
Results: Cytokines mean concentrations for IFN-γ, Il-2, Il-6, Il-10, Il-18, TNF-α were statistically increased in allergic pattern - low PVAS/high CADESI (LPHC). Il-10 was also increased in allergic pattern - high PVAS/low CADESI (HPLC). No difference was found between the plasma concentration of healthy and CAD dogs for these interleukins. No other clinical parameters were found significant within the CAD patients.
Conclusion: No potential biomarker was identified within these cytokines that can predict difference between a healthy dog and a canine with atopic dermatitis; or differences within atopic dermatitis parameters. Is yet to be understood if the findings in interleukins’ concentration evaluated and allergy pattern (specially in LPHC) may have a clinically interesting roll.