The Effect of Inhaled Ciclesonide Treatment on Systemic Markers of Immune Function in Horses.

The research investigates whether ciclesonide, an FDA-approved medication for horse asthma, has systemic immunosuppressive effects in light, mixed breed horses compared to treated and untreated horses with dexamethasone. The findings suggest that there was no significant impact of ciclesonide treatment on the immune function marker, implying a low risk of immunosuppression with this medication.

Study Design and Methodology

• The study involved eighteen light, mixed breed horses between 3 to 8 years of age. These horses were randomly assigned to one of three groups consisting of nontreated controls, ciclesonide treatment, and dexamethasone treatment.
• Blood was collected every day from the horses for steady-state messenger RNA (mRNA) analysis. Additional blood samples were collected on Days 0, 5, 10, and 15 of the treatment for an in vitro stimulation with Concanavalin A (ConA).
• The relative quantities of mRNA were figured out using RT-qPCR for select genes. The data from the qPCR analysis were scrutinized using a two-way, repeated measures analysis of variance.

Results of the Study

• The study observed significant decreases in the steady-state, whole-blood expression of granzyme B and interferon-γ due to the treatment with dexamethasone, compared to the nontreated control group.
• Within the ConA-stimulated samples, the suppressive effect of dexamethasone treatment on granzyme B expression remained when compared to the nontreated control horses.
• No similar effects were noted in the horses treated with ciclesonide, indicating that the treatment did not significantly affect the markers of immune function.

Conclusion

• The study’s findings indicate that unlike dexamethasone, ciclesonide treatment does not have a significant effect on the systemic markers of immune function in horses.
• This result suggests that the use of ciclesonide for treating equine asthma doesn’t pose a high risk for immunosuppression, making it a potentially safer treatment option.