Altered neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio in sepsis secondary to canine parvoviral enteritis treated with and without an immunomodulator in puppies

Almost 50 Years of Monomeric Extracellular Ubiquitin (eUb)

Monomeric ubiquitin (Ub) is a 76-amino-acid highly conserved protein found in eukaryotes. The biological activity of Ub first described in the 1970s was extracellular, but it quickly gained relevance due to its intracellular role, i.e., post-translational modification of intracellular proteins (ubiquitination) that regulate numerous eukaryotic cellular processes. In the following years, the extracellular role of Ub was relegated to the background, until a correlation between higher survival rate and increased serum Ub concentrations in patients with sepsis and burns was observed. Although the mechanism of action (MoA) of extracellular ubiquitin (eUb) is not yet well understood, further studies have shown that it may ameliorate the inflammatory response in tissue injury and multiple sclerosis diseases. These observations, compounded with the high stability and low immunogenicity of eUb due to its high conservation in eukaryotes, have made this small protein a relevant candidate for biotherapeutic development. Here, we review the in vitro and in vivo effects of eUb on immunologic, cardiovascular, and nervous systems, and discuss the potential MoAs of eUb as an anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and cardio- and brain-protective agent.

Clinical and inflammatory response to antiviral treatments in dogs with parvoviral enteritis

BACKGROUND

Canine parvoviral enteritis (CPE) is a fatal disease worldwide. The treatment of CPE is based mainly on supportive and symptomatic treatment. Antiviral addition to the treatment may result in a higher survival.

OBJECTIVES

This study evaluated the effects of antiviral treatments with a standardized treatment (ST) on the clinical and inflammatory response of dogs with naturally occurring CPE.

METHODS

Twenty-eight dogs with CPE caused by canine parvovirus type 2 were divided randomly into treatment groups. The ST group received fluid, antibiotic, antiemetic, and deworming treatments. The antiviral treatment groups received the same ST with an additional antiviral drug, recombinant feline interferon omega (rFeIFN-ω), oseltamivir (OSEL) or famciclovir (FAM).

RESULTS

Compared to the healthy control, the tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-1β, interferon (IFN)-α, IFN-γ, haptoglobin, and C-reactive protein values were high (p < 0.05) on day zero. At presentation, mild lymphopenia, neutropenia, and a high neutrophil to lymphocyte (LYM) ratio (NLR) were also observed. Adding rFeIFN-ω to the ST produced the best improvement in the clinical score with a decreased NLR, while leucocytes remained low and inflammatory markers stayed high on day three. The survival rates of the groups were 85.7% in ST+IFN, 71.4% in ST+OSEL, 71.4% in ST+FAM, and 57.1% in ST groups on day seven.

CONCLUSIONS

Antiviral drugs may be valuable in treating CPE to improve the clinical signs and survival. In addition, the decrease in NLR in favor of LYM may be an indicator of the early prognosis before the improvement of leukocytes, cytokines, and acute phase proteins in CPE.