Marked up-regulation of anti inflammatory cytokine gene expression in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells of postpartum cows with endometritis

Abstract

This study was designed to determine the mRNA expression profile of inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) of endometritic and non-endometritic cows to find out a possible marker for diagnosis of endometritis. Cows (21) including 12 endometritic, and 9 normal (non-endometritic) that did not develop uterine diseases postpartum (pp) were selected. Expression profile (mRNA) of cytokines, viz. IL-1β, TNFα, IL-8 and IL-4 in endometritic cows relative to non-endometritic was studied in PBMC isolated from the blood of the cows collected within 4 to 5 weeks pp. Fold difference (n-fold) in cytokine gene expression in the PBMC of endometritic cows relative to normal was calculated using relative quantification method (2-ΔΔCt). The relative fold change in gene expression for IL-1 was significantly lower in endometritic animals (0.31) than in cows that did not develop endometritis. Significant up-regulation was noted for the proinflammatory cytokine TNFα (9.53 fold and anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-4 (90.09) in cows suffering from endometritis relative to nonendometritic cows. Up-regulation of chemokine IL-8 gene (6.25 fold; was also observed in endometritic compared to non-endometritic cows. Highest and significant up-regulation of mRNA expression for IL-4 followed by TNFα in PBMC of endometritic cows recorded in the study may indicate the development of endometritis in postpartum cows.

Keywords

• Endometritic cows
• Inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines
• mRNA expression