TITLE:
Soluble Interleukin 2 Receptor-Alpha (sIL-2Rα) in the Peripheral Blood of Dogs—Comparison of Malignant Neoplasia with Other Diseases
AUTHORS:
Christian Prachar, Franz-Josef Kaup, Stephan Neumann
KEYWORDS:
sIL-2Rα; Soluble Interleukin-2 Receptor Alpha; ELISA; Dog
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Veterinary Medicine,
Vol.3 No.2,
June
6,
2013
ABSTRACT: Background: Cytokines are mediators of diseases. Expression
levels in the blood could be of clinical relevance. Objective: sIL-2Rα is used as a marker for different malignancies in human
medicine. The aim of this study was to show if sIL-2Rα is detectable and if there is any correlation to different
diseases in dogs. Methods: For this purposes sIL-2Rα concentrations in the blood were measured in healthy dogs, in dogs with
different non-neoplastic diseases and benign tumors and in dogs with malignant
tumors. Serum levels of sIL-2Rα were measured by using
a human specific enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Results: Measurement of sIL-2Rα was successful in most of the samples.
Dogs with diseases have significantly increased serum levels of sIL-2Rα compared to healthy controls. sIL-2Rα serum levels are higher in patients
with non-neoplastic diseases and benign tumors than in those with malignant
neoplasia. There is a strong correlation between sIL-2Rα and leukocyte count. Conclusion: Measurements of sIL-2Rα in serum may be helpful in detecting stages and grades of inflammation
in the progression of disease. sIL-2Rα could actually not be used as an indicator for malignant diseases in dogs like
in humans. The strong correlation between sIL-2Rα and the leukocyte count indicates the inflammatory response to
the disease. This could be helpful in giving a prognosis in some cases, because
the inflammatory reaction is of prognostic relevance in different diseases
including malignant and non-malignant neoplasia. Although the
results of our research studies were very promising, further studies should be
performed with a canine ELISA.