Intestinal IL-17 Expression in Canine Inflammatory Bowel Disease

IL-17 plays important roles in human inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). However, little is known about the possible relation of IL-17 in canine IBD. For comparative medicine and canine disease, it is useful to demonstrate the role of IL-17 in canine IBD. In this study, 7 cases of the dog with IBD typed of lymphocytic-plasmacytic enteritis without Intestinal lymphoma were examined immunohistochemically for possible relation with IL-17. Here, we found that IL-17 is expressed in intestinal mucosa of the dog with IBD. Among 7 cases, there are strong expressions of IL-17 in cases 2, moderate expression of it in cases 2, weak expression of it in cases 2, and very low expression of it in case 1. The score of IL-17 expression is not correlated with sex, age, and the breed. Using biopsy specimen, our results revealed the immunopathological relevance of IL-17 in the dog with IBD.