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Analysis of epidermal lipids in normal and atopic dogs, before and after administration of an oral omega-6/omega-3 fatty acid feed supplement. A pilot study

Veterinary Research Communications volume 35, pages 501–509 (2011)Cite this article

An Erratum to this article was published on 11 November 2011

An Erratum to this article was published on 11 November 2011

Abstract

Alterations of the lipid expression in the skin of human and canine atopic subjects may be one of the key factors in the disease development. We have analyzed the ultrastructure of the clinically uninvolved skin of atopic dogs and compared it with the lipid composition of their tape-stripped stratum corneum (SC). The effect of a 2 month treatment of atopic dogs by food supplementation with a mixture of essential fatty acids was evaluated on skin samples taken before and after the treatment period. Electron microscopy revealed that the non-lesional skin of atopic dogs exhibited an abnormal and largely incomplete structure of the lamellar lipids with little cohesion between the corneocyte strata. The SC of atopic dogs was characterized by a significant decrease in the lipid content when compared to the healthy controls. Following oral supplementation with the mixture of essential fatty acids, the overall lipid content of the SC markedly increased. This feature was observed both with the free and, most importantly, with the protein-bound lipids (cholesterol, fatty acids and ceramides), the latter constituting the corneocyte-bound scaffold for ordinate organisation of the extracellular lipid bi-layers. Indeed, the semi-quantitative electron microscopy study revealed that the treatment resulted in a significantly improved organization of the lamellar lipids in the lower SC, comparable to that of the healthy dogs. Our results indicate the potential interest of long-term alimentary supplementation with omega-6 and omega-3 essential fatty acids in canine atopic dermatitis.

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Abbreviations

AD:

Atopic dermatitis

SC:

Stratum corneum

EFA:

Essential fatty acids

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Acknowledgements

This study was supported by the European COST action BM0903 (SkinBAD, skin barrier in atopic dermatitis) and the European Epidermal Barrier Research Network (E²BRN).

Electron microscopy samples were examined at the Centre Technologique des Microstructures (CTμ) de l’Université de Lyon1, La Doua, Villeurbanne, France.

The results reported in this paper have been partially presented at the Sixth World Congress of Veterinary Dermatology, Hong Kong, November 2008 (abstract in Vet. Dermatol. 2008; 19 (suppl 1): 68) and at the European Society for Dermatological Research meeting, Helsinki, September 2010 (abstract in J Invest Dermatol 130: S13, 2010).

Conflict of interest

This study was partially financed by Virbac S.A., France.

Author information

Author notes

  1. Iuliana Popa

    Present address: UMR CNRS 8612, University of Paris XI, 92290, Chätenay-Malabry, France

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory for Dermatological Research EA4169 “Normal and Pathological Functions of the Skin Barrier”, Université Lyon 1, Lyon, France

    Iuliana Popa, Nathalie Remoué, Bilal Osta, Sylvie Callejon, Jacques Portoukalian & Marek Haftek

  2. Dermatology–Cancerology Unit, VetAgro Sup Lyon Campus, Marcy L’Etoile, France

    Didier Pin & Emilie Videmont

  3. Virbac SA, Carros, France

    Hugues Gatto

  4. Laboratoire de Recherche Dermatologique, EA4169, UCBL1, 8, Av. Rockefeller, 69373, Lyon, France

    Marek Haftek

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  1. Iuliana Popa
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Correspondence to Marek Haftek.

Additional information

An erratum to this article can be found at http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11259-011-9508-4

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Popa, I., Pin, D., Remoué, N. et al. Analysis of epidermal lipids in normal and atopic dogs, before and after administration of an oral omega-6/omega-3 fatty acid feed supplement. A pilot study. Vet Res Commun 35, 501–509 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11259-011-9493-7

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Keywords

  • Canine atopic dermatitis
  • Lipid analysis
  • Stratum corneum
  • Feed supplement
  • Dogs