Analysis of Inflammatory and Regulatory Cytokines in the Milk of Dairy Cows with Mastitis: A Comparative Study with Healthy Animals

Bovine mastitis remains a major problem in the global dairy cattle industry. The acute invasion of udder by pathogens induces innate immune response as the first defence mechanism in subclinical and clinical mastitis. The aim of the study was to determine inflammatory and regulatory cytokines IL-2, IL-4, TGF-β1, IL-17A, beta-defensin 3 and IL-10 and their potential changes in milk of dairy cows with subclinical and clinical mastitis, and to compare the findings with healthy animals. Milk samples from 15 holstein Friesian breed cows were used in the study. Cows were divided into three groups based on their health status (5 healthy, 5 subclinical and 5 clinical animals). All samples were tested using immunohistochemistry to evaluate IL-2, IL-4, IL-10, IL17A, TGF-β1 and β-Def 3 proteins. Expression of all proteins was detected in all milk samples. High expression of IL-2, IL-4, IL17A, TGF-β1 was detected in healthy cows’ milk and in milk of cows with subclinical and clinical mastitis. However, expression of IL-10 and β-Def 3 in milk samples of healthy cows was significantly higher compared to the milk of cows with subclinical and clinical mastitis (p <.001). IL-10 and β-Def 3 can be considered as informative biomarkers in diagnosis of subclinical and clinical mastitis.