Treatment-Associated Differences in Serum Cytokine Profiles in Canine Atopic Dermatitis: A Cross-Sectional Study

Systemic immunomodulatory treatments are widely used in canine atopic dermatitis (cAD), but treatment-associated differences in circulating cytokine profiles remain unclear. This cross-sectional study compared serum cytokine concentrations in 143 dogs: Healthy (n = 28), Untreated AD (n = 27), Prednisolone (n = 23), Oclacitinib (n = 29), Lokivetmab (n = 19), and Cyclosporine (n = 17). Serum concentrations of IFN-γ, IL-10, IL-13, IL-31, and TGF-β1 were quantified using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. pVAS and CADESI-04 were compared among the five cAD groups. All five cytokines differed significantly among the six groups. The Prednisolone group had lower pVAS scores than the Untreated AD group (p = 0.002) and the Cyclosporine group (p = 0.001), despite having the highest median serum IL-31 concentration (163.9 pg/mL), which was significantly higher than that in each of the other groups (p ≤ 0.003). The Prednisolone group showed lower IL-13 concentrations than the Healthy and Untreated AD groups (both p = 0.001). IFN-γ concentrations were lower in the Oclacitinib, Lokivetmab, and Cyclosporine groups than in the Healthy group (p ≤ 0.002). Serum cytokine profiles differed among groups defined by treatment status; however, these cross-sectional differences cannot be interpreted as direct treatment effects. The discordance between pVAS and serum IL-31 in the Prednisolone group indicates that circulating cytokine concentrations may not consistently parallel concurrent clinical severity and should be interpreted as a hypothesis-generating observation rather than an established biological relationship. Longitudinal studies are needed to clarify whether these profiles reflect treatment exposure, underlying disease heterogeneity, or both.

Authors: J. Y. Ko, M. H. Kang, K. S. Lee and H. M. Park Title: Treatment-Associated Differences in Serum Cytokine Profiles in Canine Atopic Dermatitis: A Cross-Sectional Study Full source: Animals (Basel), 2026,Vol 16, Iss 15, Author keywords 16
Résumé, analyse et commentaires
Aucun.
Photo
Aucune.
Analysis
None.
Abstract	Source
Systemic immunomodulatory treatments are widely used in canine atopic dermatitis (cAD), but treatment-associated differences in circulating cytokine profiles remain unclear. This cross-sectional study compared serum cytokine concentrations in 143 dogs: Healthy (n = 28), Untreated AD (n = 27), Prednisolone (n = 23), Oclacitinib (n = 29), Lokivetmab (n = 19), and Cyclosporine (n = 17). Serum concentrations of IFN-γ, IL-10, IL-13, IL-31, and TGF-β1 were quantified using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. pVAS and CADESI-04 were compared among the five cAD groups. All five cytokines differed significantly among the six groups. The Prednisolone group had lower pVAS scores than the Untreated AD group (p = 0.002) and the Cyclosporine group (p = 0.001), despite having the highest median serum IL-31 concentration (163.9 pg/mL), which was significantly higher than that in each of the other groups (p ≤ 0.003). The Prednisolone group showed lower IL-13 concentrations than the Healthy and Untreated AD groups (both p = 0.001). IFN-γ concentrations were lower in the Oclacitinib, Lokivetmab, and Cyclosporine groups than in the Healthy group (p ≤ 0.002). Serum cytokine profiles differed among groups defined by treatment status; however, these cross-sectional differences cannot be interpreted as direct treatment effects. The discordance between pVAS and serum IL-31 in the Prednisolone group indicates that circulating cytokine concentrations may not consistently parallel concurrent clinical severity and should be interpreted as a hypothesis-generating observation rather than an established biological relationship. Longitudinal studies are needed to clarify whether these profiles reflect treatment exposure, underlying disease heterogeneity, or both.