Cytokine profiles in healthy animals and in cows with purulent-necrotic limb processes
Authors: Melnikov V. , Rublenko M. , Ilnitskyi M. 
Published: June 2023

One of the typical and mandatory reactions of the body to trauma or infectious agents for damage to any tissues and organs is the acute phase reaction, which is an induced increase in the synthesis followed by an increase in the blood and tissues of a number of proteins with immunological, bactericidal, antioxidant and inhibitory functions. The purpose of the study is to determine the levels of cytokines in clinically healthy cows, pigs and dogs, as well as in cows with purulent-necrotic processes of the limbs. The levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines and anti-inflammatory IL-10 were determined in blood serum of cows, pigs and dogs. Cows with purulent-necrotic lesions of the limbs (n=26) were divided into: 1st group (n=8) – acute form of purulent-necrotic lesions of the distal limbs; 2nd group (n=8) – generalized lesions; group 3 (n=10) – recurrent foci in the area of the fingers. The content of TNF-α, IL-1ß and IL-10 interleukins in blood serum was determined by the immunoenzymatic method according to the standard protocol. It was established that the blood levels of pro-inflammatory TNF-α and IL-1ß in clinically healthy cows are significantly lower than anti-inflammatory IL-10, for the ratio of IL-10:TNF-α – 3.3:1, and IL- 10: IL- 1ß - 9.5:1, therefore, for cattle under physiological norms, an inherent anti-inflammatory cytokine profile. In clinically healthy pigs, the anti-inflammatory cytokine profile turned out to be the most pronounced, as the cytokine indices in them were significantly higher: IL-10:TNF-α – 19.4:1; IL-10:IL-1β – 13.9:1. In the blood of clinically healthy dogs, the cytokine indices between IL-10:IL-1ß are extremely low - 1.5:1, TNF-α : IL-1ß - 0.2:1, even lower, and between IL-10:TNF-α - 8.8:1, and therefore the anti-inflammatory cytokine profile is much lower according to the totality of cytokine indices. In cows with an acute form of necrobacteriosis, compared with clinically healthy animals, the level of TNF-α in the blood is 5.6 times higher (Р<0.001), and IL-1ß is 3.4 times higher (Р<0.001), due to their increase index by 1.7 times, up to 4.9:1. Under such conditions, the level of IL-10 increases only 1.8 times (р<0.05). Animals with the generalized form are characterized by a critical increase in the blood level of TNF-α by 16.8 times and IL-1ß by 17.8 times (p <0.001), while the level of IL-10 remains unchanged compared to the acute form. Cytokine index IL-10:TNF-α acquires a critical value - 0.4:1, and IL-10 to IL-1ß - 1:1. In animals with recurrent lesions, low levels of IL-1ß, especially IL-10, are characteristic. However, the concentration of TNF-α remains quite high and exceeds the normal value by 12.6 times (p<0.001). Therefore, various clinical forms of necrobacterial lesions of the limbs in cows have a compensatory or non-compensatory nature of cytokinemia, with an imbalance of the functionality of acute-phase proteins due to the insufficient capacity of the inhibitory potential of sick cows.
Key words: cows, pigs, dogs, cytokines, serum, clinically healthy animals, inflammation.