Level of geneexpression of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines in the blood ofcows with chronic endometritis

Abstract

The level of expression of genes of proinflammatory (IL-1α and IL-1β) and antiinflammatory (IL-10) cytokines in the blood of cows was studied on 20 animals, divided according to the principle of analogues into two groups: the first group (n=10) - clinically healthy cows, the second one (n=10) - diagnosed with chronic endometritis. Diagnosis of chronic endometritis was carried out on the basis of the results of transrectal examination and echographic data obtained using a portable ultrasound scanner. The experiment included cows 60 or more days after calving. It has been found that the level of expression of IL-1α, IL-1β in cows with chronic endometritis is by 1.92 and 4.61 times higher, respectively, than in clinically healthy animals, and the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10, on the contrary, is by 118.6 times lower. The dominance of proinflammatory cytokine gene expression over anti-inflammatory ones indicates the development of an inflammatory process in the uterus, which is confirmed by the results of histological studies of endometrial biopsy material. In clinically healthy animals, the integumentary epithelium is lined with cells of a prismatic or cubic shape, the endometrium is slightly infiltrated with neutrophils, lymphocytes and histiocytes. The uterine glands are presented in a significant amount, the glandular cells are integral, prismatic in shape. In the cows with chronic endometritis, desquamation of the integumentary epithelium was diagnosed, the cells of which in most cases are in a state of dystrophy and necrobiosis. The lumen of the uterine glands is narrowed, glandular cells are rejected into the lumen of the glands, which indicates a decrease in the functional activity of the organ. The endometrium looked edematous, abundantly infiltrated, predominantly with neutrophilic leukocytes and, to a lesser extent, with lymphoid cells, indicating the presence of inflammation in the uterine mucosa.