Canine inflammatory bowel disease is a group of chronic enteropathies characterized by persistent
or recurring gastric symptoms with an unknown etiology which are related to histopathological
changes in the mucosa of the small and large bowel in the form of cellular infiltration in the mucosal
lamina propria. Recent years have witnessed a growing number of investigations into the role of the
immune system and, in particular, cytokines in the development of IBD. In this article, the expression
of pro-inflammatory (IL-1, IL-2, IL-5, IL-6, IL-12, IL-18, IFN-γ, TNF-α) and anti-inflammatory
cytokines (IL-4, IL-10) was compared in canine patients with IBD based on clinical presentation,
breed, lamina propria cell infiltrate and histopathological grade. Only selected studies confirmed
higher mRNA expression levels of cytokines IL-2, IL-4, IL-5, IL-12p40, IFN-γ, TNF-α and TGF-β in
dogs with IBD in comparison with healthy subjects. GSD were strongly represented in most study
populations. Dogs with LPE were characterized by elevated levels of IL-1α, IL-1β, IL-2, IL-5, IL-6,
IL-12, TNF-α, TGF-β. The present studies of canine patients with LPC revealed the mRNA expression
of cytokines IL-1β, IL-2, IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-10, IL-12p35, IL-12p40, IFN-γ, TNF-α, TGF-β. In
the reviewed studies, the progression of IBD was not accompanied by changes in the mRNA expression
of IL-1α, IL-1β, IL-2, IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-10, IL-12, IL-18, TNF-α, IFN-γ or TGF-β.
