Nonhypoalbuminemic Inflammatory Bowel Disease in Dogs as Disease Model

The incidence of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is increasing worldwide, emphasizing the need of relevant models, as dogs spontaneously affected by IBD may be, for better knowledge of the disease's physiopathology.

We studied 22 client-owned dogs suffering from IBD without protein loss and 14 control dogs. Biopsies were obtained from the duodenum, ileum, and colon. Inflammatory grade was assessed by histopathology, immunohistochemistry, and chemokine analysis. The expression of Toll-like receptors (TLR) in mucosa was immunohistochemically evaluated. Antibody levels against bacterial ligands (lipopolysaccharide [LPS] and flagellin) were measured in sera using enzyme-linked immunoassay.

Dogs with IBD showed low to severe clinical disease. Histopathologically, the gut of dogs with IBD did not exhibit significant alterations compared with controls except in the colon. The number of CD3+ T lymphocytes was decreased in the ileum and colon of dogs with IBD compared with controls, whereas the numbers of Foxp3+, CD20+, and CD204+ cells were similar in the 2 groups. Three chemokines, but no cytokines, were detected at the protein level in the mucosa, and the disease poorly affected their tissue concentrations. Dogs with IBD exhibited higher serum reactivity against LPS and flagellin than controls but similar immunoreactivity against the receptors TLR4 and TLR5. In addition, TLR2 and TLR9 showed similar expression patterns in both groups of dogs.

Our data described dysregulated immune responses in dogs affected by IBD without protein loss. Despite fairly homogeneous dog cohorts, we were still faced with interindividual variability, and new studies with larger cohorts are needed to validate the dog as a model.