Therapeutic plasma exchange by centrifugation in dogs with potentially immunological diseases

• Grant number: 21/10933-0
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: May 01, 2022
• End date: April 30, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Veterinary Medicine - Animal Clinics and Surgery
• Principal Investigator: Priscylla Tatiana Chalfun Guimaraes-Okamoto
• Grantee: Priscylla Tatiana Chalfun Guimaraes-Okamoto
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia (FMVZ). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Botucatu. Botucatu , SP, Brazil
• Associated researchers: Fabiana Ferreira de Souza ; Regina Kiomi Takahira

Abstract

Although the Therapeutic Plasma Exchange (TPE) in veterinary medicine is a recent technique, the application in animals, among other possibilities, shows to be promising when associated with traditional immunosuppressive therapy, elucidating its beneficent potential in the adjuvant treatment of immunological diseases. Thus, considering the scarcity of veterinary studies with the use of TPE, mainly by centrifugation and the fact that it is an innovative study that will give support the treatment of immunological diseases, the development of research with TPE is needed as it may benefit animals with potentially immunological diseases. Hence, this study aims to describe the effect of TPE in dogs with potentially immunological diseases, portraying technical characteristics, complications and results of the technique. It also aims to evaluate, through polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, the serum proteins profile and associated with clinical status. 26 dogs, over 1-year-old, with no predisposition to sex or breed will be selected. The selection will be based on animals that have failed to improve with conventional immunomodulatory treatment for comorbidities such as immune-mediated hemolytic anemia, canine visceral leishmaniasis, Ehrlichia spp and immune-mediated thrombocytopenia. Animals will be divided into two groups, 13 animals in the clinical treatment group (CTG) and 13 animals in the clinical treatment group and TPE (TPEG). There will be 3 sessions at the moments, M1, M30 and M60 (days), for 2 months, using the Cobe Spectra ® machine (Terumo BCT, USA Colorado) set up to the volume of a plasma exchange. Blood samples will be collected from the jugular vein before and after the TPE procedure. For all blood samples collected from the jugular vein, complete blood count and serum concentration of urea, creatinine, alanine aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, gamma glutamyl transferase, total protein, albumin, globulin, calcium and phosphorus will be obtained. Serum aliquot will be processed for the Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis technique. Also, blood gas analysis will be performed to determine blood pH, ionic calcium, sodium bicarbonate and potassium. (AU)