Immunologic disorders in the dog and cat

Immunomodulatory benefits of mesenchymal stem cells treated with Caffeine in adjuvant-induced arthritis

PURPOSE

We intend to assess the effect of the conditioned medium of Caffeine pulsed MSCS in the amelioration of rheumatoid arthritis (RA)-afflicted rats.

METHODS

MSCs were incubated with 0, 0.1, 0.5 or 1 mM Caffeine for 2 weeks. RA was induced by the injection of complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA) into the base of the tail of Wistar rats. According to in vitro studies, RA rats were intraperitoneally treated with MSCs, Caffeine (0.5 mM) pulsed MSCs or vehicle on day 14 when all rats had shown signs of RA.

RESULTS

Our results suggest that the least effective dose concentration of Caffeine that can induce potent anti-inflammatory property in the MSC population is 0.5 mM. Without any significant impact on the vitality or MScs' marker, Caffeine at this concentration could induce lower levels of IFN-γ, IL-6, and IL-1β and a higher level of IDO, TGF-β, and IL-10 compared to other groups. Therefore, MSCs pulsed with Caffeine at 0.5 mM concentration was selected for in vitro studies. Caffeine pulsed MSCs could reduce the severity of the disease and improve weight-gaining more profoundly than treatment with MSCs alone. Furthermore, Caffeine pulsed MSCs caused a significant reduction in the serum levels C-reactive protein, Nitric oxide, Myeloperoxidase, TNF-α and conversely led a significant increase in the levels of IL-10 more prominent than the similar findings brought about by MSCs alone.

CONCLUSION

In general, caffeine-treated MSCs may be a promising strategy for cell-based therapy of RA.

Canine systemic lupus erythematosus: new insights and their implications

It is generally considered that the clinical manifestations of human and canine systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) are similar in many respects. However, there are differences in serological markers of SLE between the two species, which has led to much discussion on which immunopathological criteria might be appropriate in the diagnosis of the canine disorder. Further studies on canine SLE will need to address these issues, so that definitive diagnostic indices may be employed. Areas which require to be re-assessed, in particular, include the applicability of assays for antibodies to double-stranded DNA--a hallmark of human SLE, a re-evaluation of the anaemia associated with canine SLE and an index of the clinical activity of the disease process.

Immunologic methods for the detection of humoral and cellular immunity

A variety of immunologic techniques have been introduced during the past few years. Many of these techniques are being applied to clinical specimens in an attempt to help the practicing veterinarian make a diagnosis. The introduction of new techniques requires extensive testing with clinically normal and diseased patients. It is essential for the practicing veterinarian to understand that the techniques available for the detection of immunologic disorders in the dog and cat are not routine diagnostic procedures and that adequate information has not been developed for any of the techniques described to assure the clinical significance of either positive or negative results (Table 3). This should not discourage the practitioner from submitting samples, but should encourage him or her to question the significance of those results and to attempt to correlate them with history and clinical signs before arriving at a final diagnosis.