Assessment of markers of acute and chronic inflammation in brachycephalic dogs of the French bulldog and pug breeds, affected or not by brachycephalic airway obstructive syndrome (BAOS)

• Grant number: 24/07310-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• Start date: May 01, 2025
• End date: July 31, 2028
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Veterinary Medicine - Animal Clinics and Surgery
• Principal Investigator: Paola Castro Moraes
• Grantee: Júlia Banhareli Tasso
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias (FCAV). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Jaboticabal. Jaboticabal , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 23/12747-5 - "Assessment of acute and chronic inflammation markers and microbiota composition in brachycephalic dogs of the French bulldog and pug breeds, with and without brachycephalic Obstructive Airway Syndrome (BOAS)", AP.R

Abstract

Brachycephalic Airway Obstructive Syndrome (BAOS) affects dogs with a short snout, which, due to their artificially selected anatomopathological changes, suffer from cranial airway obstructions. This leads to chronic hypoxemia, which will induce systemic inflammation and the production of free radicals, as already seen in humans suffering from obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSA). Some studies demonstrate improvement in clinical signs and examinations of patients before and after some type of treatment, especially surgery. We propose a prospective study with the objective of determining the degree of inflammation presented by dogs of two brachycephalic breeds (French bulldog and pug) in different degrees of the disease (0, I, II and III) and between untreated and treated animals. The assessment of acute inflammation will be carried out by measuring pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-1²; IL-6 and TNF-±) and an anti-inflammatory marker (IL-10). To assess chronic inflammation, lipid peroxidation markers (MDA), nitrite, superoxide dismutase enzyme, catalase enzyme and glutathione will be measured. Associations and correlations between the degree of the syndrome, the levels of markers of acute and chronic inflammation and the true systemic assessment of a patient before and after the procedure will be investigated. Understanding these changes will help determine effective treatments for these animals, providing greater longevity and quality of life.