Proliferation effects of phenylboronic acid and boric acid on canine peripheral blood mononuclear cells

Abstract

The effects of phenylboronic acid (PBA) and boric acid (BA) on the proliferation of canine peripheral blood mononuclearcells (PBMCs) were investigated. Treatment of PBMCs from mixed breed dogs with PBA or BA (0.05 μg/mL) alone elicited blastogenicresponses of 0.478 ± 0.438 and 0.499 ± 0.366, respectively. We observed an additive effect on proliferation when purebred Kangal PBMCswere cultured in a combination of BA (0.001 μg/mL) and the mitogenic lectin concanavalin A (1 μg/mL). However, the effects were notstatistically significant. We detected varied IL-2 and IL-4 secretion in response to stimulation with boron-containing compounds. Ourfindings suggest that PBA induces canine PBMC proliferation, albeit less potently than lectins. However, boronic acid compounds maystill prove beneficial as adjuvants to elicit cell proliferation and boost canine immune responses.