Unravelling of nitric oxide signalling: A potential biomarker with multifaceted complex mechanism associated with canine inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)

Abstract

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is an important chronic condition associated with the infection affecting the gastrointestinal tract (G.I.) in dogs. Several factors' viz. gastrointestinal tract lymphoid tissue (GALT), permeability defects, genetic, ischemic, biochemical, psychosomatic disorders, infectious and parasitic agents, dietary allergies, and adverse drug reactions are associated with inflammatory bowel disease. The most noticeable clinical signs are vomiting, diarrhea, changes in appetite, weight loss, anorexia, ascites and peripheral edema. Nitric oxide (NO), a pleiotropic free radical messenger molecule plays an immense role in playing mucosal inflammation in the intestine through activation of NO synthase enzyme (iNOS). The complex mechanism associated with inflammation in the G.I. tract is also correlated with the expression of iNOS, enzymatic activity, and NO production. NO exerts a beneficial role in maintaining epithelial permeability as well as the immune response in acute colitis. But the excessive production of NO causes adverse effects. In the review, the author suggests that a complex phenomenon is associated with competing biochemical pathways triggered by NO through the regulation of mucosal inflammation in inflammatory bowel disease. This review is a unique compilation about the role of NO in the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease of the dogs.

Keywords: Inflammatory bowel disease; Mechanism; Mucosal inflammation; Nitric oxide.