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Published on: September 21, 2021
Development and validation of a tissue cage model of acute inflammation in the cat
L Pelligand1, A K House, B A Summers
1Department of Veterinary Basic Sciences, Royal Veterinary College, Hatfield, Herts, UK. lpelligand@rvc.ac.uk
Insights
This study developed an ethical cat model for soft tissue inflammation using carrageenan-injected tissue cages. The model effectively measures inflammatory markers like prostaglandin E2, aiding anti-inflammatory drug research.
Area of Science:
- Veterinary Medicine
- Pharmacology
- Inflammation Research
Background:
- Investigating soft tissue inflammation in cats is crucial for understanding disease processes and developing effective treatments.
- Existing models may have limitations in ethical considerations or relevance to clinical scenarios.
Purpose of the Study:
- To establish and validate a novel, ethical model of soft tissue inflammation in cats using carrageenan-induced responses within subcutaneous tissue cages.
- To assess the utility of this model for measuring key inflammatory mediators and evaluating anti-inflammatory drug efficacy.
Main Methods:
- Subcutaneous implantation of silicon tissue cages in healthy cats.
- Induction of mild inflammation via intracavitary injection of lambda-carrageenan solution.
- Serial sampling of tissue cage exudate to quantify leukocytes, protein, and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2).
Main Results:
- Leukocyte counts peaked at 34 hours, with protein and PGE2 concentrations peaking at 12 and 24 hours, respectively.
- The tissue cage model demonstrated good tolerance over 9-10 months.
- Subcutaneous ketoprofen administration effectively suppressed exudate PGE2 levels.
Conclusions:
- The carrageenan-stimulated tissue cage model provides a reliable and ethical method for studying soft tissue inflammation in cats.
- Exudate PGE2 serves as a valid surrogate marker for cyclooxygenase-2 activity in this model.
- This model facilitates in vivo pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic studies of anti-inflammatory drugs in feline species.
Abstract:
Four cylindrical silicon tissue cages (TC, internal volume: 6.7 ± 0.11 cm(3)) were inserted subcutaneously in 29 young healthy cats. A mild inflammatory reaction was induced by intracaveal injection of 1 mL of a 2%λ-carrageenan solution. TC exudate was subsequently sampled at predetermined times (up to 120 h) to measure exudate leucocyte counts and the concentrations of protein and eicosanoids. TC remained in situ for 9-10 months and were well tolerated. Leucocyte counts peaked at 34 h (50.1 ± 57.6 × 10(3) cells/mm(3) ) and returned towards baseline after 72 h. Protein concentration increased from 26.2 ± 2.7 g/L to a peak of 35.9 ± 6.0 g/L at 12 h before returning to baseline at 48 h. Exudate prostaglandin (PG)E(2) concentration peaked at 24 h (11.7 ± 13.7 ng/mL) and returned to baseline by 120 h. Repeated collection of fluid from noninjected cages did not increase transudate PGE(2). Ketoprofen (2 mg/kg, subcutaneously) suppressed exudate PGE(2) at 24 h. The carrageenan-stimulated TC model is an ethical and novel means of investigating soft tissue inflammation in the cat, in which exudate PGE(2) acts as surrogate marker of cyclooxygenase-2 activity. This model will facilitate the investigation of in vivo pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of anti-inflammatory drugs in this species.
