Standardization of the technique for lipid evaluation in normal dog skin and allergic dog skin before and after treatment with topic ceramides and lipids

• Grant number: 12/12774-8
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: February 01, 2013
• End date: January 31, 2015
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Veterinary Medicine - Animal Clinics and Surgery
• Principal Investigator: Luiz Henrique de Araújo Machado
• Grantee: Luiz Henrique de Araújo Machado
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia (FMVZ). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Botucatu. Botucatu , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Skin stratum corneum is composed by ceramides, which are inter-cellular lipids responsible for the structure of the epidermal barrier. The absence or deficiency of those lipids is known as a cause of itching in dogs. In spite of its renowned importance, there is no report of standardization of the techniques for lipid content evaluation (staining and quantification) in dog epidermis. Veterinary products aiming to repair the epidermal barrier (topic lipid complexes) have been recently released, but up to this moment it is not completely proven that this restoration indeed occurs. The aims of the present study are to standardize the technique of ceramides and lipids quantification in normal dog skin using specific staining and to quantify skin ceramides and lipids in dogs with atopic dermatitis before and after topical barrier therapy according to the diagnostic criteria described by Favrot (2010). All studied dogs will come from the ambulatory of the Veterinary Dermatology Service of UNESP - Botucatu. (AU)