Longitudinal analysis of inflammation, immune function and oxidative stress markers in 80 Labrador retrievers from adulthood to end of life
Markers of inflammation, immune function and oxidative stress were measured longitudinally in 80 Labrador retrievers from adulthood to the end of life to determine whether dogs undergo inflammaging-like changes. Serum immunoglobulin M and 8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine increased with age, immunoglobulin G and C-reactive protein changed only when the last year of life was included, and baseline heat shock protein 70 declined with age. The authors conclude that aging dogs undergo changes similar to human inflammaging, opening the possibility of nutritional or pharmacological intervention.
Record
| Design | longitudinal cohort |
|---|---|
| Status | completed |
| Intervention class | none |
| Duration | From adulthood to the end of life |
| Dogs | 80 |
| Population note | 80 Labrador retrievers followed from adulthood to the end of life |
| Breed | Labrador retriever |
| Age | From adulthood to the end of life |
| Primary outcome | Changes with age in markers of inflammation (immunoglobulin M, immunoglobulin G, C-reactive protein), oxidative stress (8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine) and the heat shock protein 70 response to heat stress |
| Result (as reported) | Serum levels of immunoglobulin M (p < .001) and 8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine (p < .001) increased with age, whereas no effect of age was detected for immunoglobulin G or C-reactive protein unless the last year of life was included in the analysis (p = .002). Baseline levels of heat shock protein 70 decreased with age (p < .001) while those after exposure to heat stress were maintained (p = .018); when excluding final year of life data, a decline in the heat shock protein 70 response after heat stress was observed (p = .004). |
| Tags | cohort, inflammaging, oxidative-stress, immune-function, labrador-retriever, biomarkers |
Notes: Observational longitudinal study with no intervention; PubMed lists the publication type 'Clinical Trial, Veterinary' but the abstract describes no treatment. The abstract does not state the housing setting, the funder or the calendar years.
Sources and verbatim quotes
Understanding How Dogs Age: Longitudinal Analysis of Markers of Inflammation, Immune Function, and Oxidative Stress. (2018) PMID 29126143 (results)
Detrimental physiological changes occurring later in life must be understood before interventions can be made to slow or reduce them.
To determine whether similar processes occur in the aging dog, changes in markers of inflammation and oxidative stress were investigated in 80 Labrador retrievers from adulthood to the end of life.
Serum levels of immunoglobulin M (p < .001) and 8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine (p < .001) increased with age, whereas no effect of age was detected for immunoglobulin G or C-reactive protein unless the last year of life was included in the analysis (p = .002).
Baseline levels of heat shock protein 70 decreased with age (p < .001) while those after exposure to heat stress were maintained (p = .018).
However, when excluding final year of life data, a decline in the heat shock protein 70 response after heat stress was observed (p = .004).
These findings indicate that aging dogs undergo changes similar to human inflammaging and offer the possibility of nutritional or pharmacological intervention to delay or reduce these effects.
Reproduce: canine_trial_search(trial_id="labrador-inflammaging-cohort-2018") in dog-geroscience-mcp; dataset canine-trial-registry.