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Lactoferrin, a glycoprotein with immunomodulatory and mast cell stabilising properties, in skin of horses suffering from Culicoides hypersensitivity.
Abstract: Lactoferrin (LF), a glycogen of the transferrin family with anti-bacterial and immunomodulatory properties, is expressed in various secretions and tissues. Cutaneous LF serves as a mast cell stabilising compound, modulates T cell activity and is found during IgE-mediated late phase reactions at allergen challenged sites. Culicoides hypersensitivity (CHS) in horses is a common IgE-mediated allergic dermatitis, characterised by an early and late phase cutaneous reaction upon allergen challenge. The aim of the study presented here was to examine whether LF mRNA expression in skin biopsies from horses affected by CHS prior to and 4h following intradermal challenge with a commercial C. nubeculosus extract is modified in comparison to skin biopsies from non-affected horses. In order to obtain reliable data, real time PCR was performed and genes of interest were normalized using three different housekeeping genes, beta-actin, GAPDH, beta-2-microglobulin. In comparison to non-affected horses, higher variation in LF mRNA levels both prior to and post-intradermal challenge with C. nubeculosus extract was seen in horses affected by CHS. However, the statistical analysis demonstrated that LF mRNA expression was not significantly different between CHS affected and non-affected horses prior to intradermal challenge with C. nubeculosus extract. Intradermal injection of C. nubeculosus extract did not result in local upregulation of LF mRNA at 4h post-injection. LF mRNA expression was therefore not significantly different pre- or post-intradermal challenge with C. nubeculosus extract in either group. Our data indicate that clinically normal skin of horses affected by CHS is not characterized by modified maintenance levels of LF mRNA. In contrast to human skin allergen challenged sites, LF mRNA levels in horses affected by CHS are not significantly different to that of control sites at 4h post-injection of C. nubeculosus extract.
Publication Date: 2007-01-11 PubMed ID: 17222435DOI: 10.1016/j.rvsc.2006.11.007Google Scholar: Lookup The Equine Research Bank provides access to a large database of publicly available scientific literature. Inclusion in the Research Bank does not imply endorsement of study methods or findings by Mad Barn.
- Journal Article
- Research Support
- Non-U.S. Gov't
Summary
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This research investigates if there’s a change in Lactoferrin (LF) activity in the skin of horses with Culicoides hypersensitivity (CHS), an allergic condition, compared to healthy horses. The study found no significant difference in LF levels in skin biopsies when both groups were challenged with an allergen, contradicting assumptions based on human studies.
About Lactoferrin and Culicoides Hypersensitivity
- The study focuses on Lactoferrin (LF), a glycoprotein with antibacterial and immunomodulatory properties. In skin, LF stabilizes mast cells which are crucial for immune responses, regulates T cell activity, and is present during late phase allergic reactions.
- It also explores Culicoides hypersensitivity (CHS), a common allergic skin condition in horses, characterized by skin reactions upon allergen exposure. These reactions occur both immediately and hours after exposure.
Study Design and Findings
- The researchers sought to see if LF expression in the skin of horses with CHS changed before and after an allergen challenge compared to healthy horses.
- To gather accurate data, they used real-time PCR, a method for detecting and quantifying specific genes, and normalized these findings using three housekeeping genes for comparison.
- The study found that horses with CHS had more variable LF expression levels before and after the allergen challenge compared to healthy horses. However, the differences were not statistically significant.
- Additionally, the allergen challenge did not lead to increased LF expression at the test site 4 hours post-injection in either group.
Conclusions and Implications
- The study found that the skin of horses with CHS does not exhibit different levels of LF than healthy horses, either before or after allergen exposure.
- This contradicts what has been observed in human studies of skin allergen exposure, where LF levels differ significantly post-exposure.
- The findings suggest that the mechanisms of allergen response in horses may vary from humans, and further research is necessary to understand these differences and their implications for treatment.
Cite This Article
APA
Kolm G, Knapp E, Wagner R, Klein D.
(2007).
Lactoferrin, a glycoprotein with immunomodulatory and mast cell stabilising properties, in skin of horses suffering from Culicoides hypersensitivity.
Res Vet Sci, 83(2), 165-170.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rvsc.2006.11.007 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department for Animal Breeding and Reproduction, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Veterinaerplatz 1, A-1210 Vienna, Austria. gabriela.kolm@vu-wien.ac.at
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Ceratopogonidae / immunology
- Horse Diseases / immunology
- Horse Diseases / metabolism
- Horses
- Hypersensitivity / immunology
- Hypersensitivity / metabolism
- Hypersensitivity / veterinary
- Insect Bites and Stings / immunology
- Insect Bites and Stings / veterinary
- Lactoferrin / immunology
- Lactoferrin / metabolism
- Mast Cells / metabolism
- Skin Diseases / immunology
- Skin Diseases / metabolism
- Skin Diseases / veterinary
Citations
This article has been cited 3 times.- Alghamdi AS, Fedorka CE, Scoggin KE, Esteller-Vico A, Beatty K, Davolli G, Ball BA, Troedsson MHT. Binding of Equine Seminal Lactoferrin/Superoxide Dismutase (SOD-3) Complex Is Biased towards Dead Spermatozoa. Animals (Basel) 2022 Dec 23;13(1).
- Tomazic PV, Liesinger L, Pucher B, Thallinger GG, Leitner A, Spoerk S, Gerstenberger C, Lang-Loidolt D, Birner-Gruenberger R. Comparison of tear proteome in allergic rhinoconjunctivitis patients and controls with respect to pollen season. Allergy 2018 Jul;73(7):1541-1543.
- Abood WN, Fahmi I, Abdulla MA, Ismail S. Immunomodulatory effect of an isolated fraction from Tinospora crispa on intracellular expression of INF-γ, IL-6 and IL-8. BMC Complement Altern Med 2014 Jun 27;14:205.
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