Association between intestinal lymphangiectasia and expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase in dogs with lymphoplasmacytic enteritis

Abstract

Intestinal lymphangiectasia (IL) is a common complication in dogs. Since nitric oxide (NO) is known to relax the lymphatic duct, we evaluated inducible NO synthase (iNOS) expression using immunohistochemistry in 13 dogs with lymphoplasmacytic enteritis (LPE) with or without IL. The duodenal iNOS expressing cells were significantly increased in dogs with ILnegative or IL-positive LPE dogs (P = 0.025, P = 0.007) compared with control dogs.However, there was no significant difference in iNOS expression between IL-positive and ILnegative tissues. Based on these results, there is no clear evidence for the NO overproduction in the pathogenesis of IL in dogs with LPE. Factors other than NO could, thus, contribute to IL in dogs with LPE.

Pathophysiology, Diagnosis, and Management of Canine Intestinal Lymphangiectasia: A Comparative Review

“…Recently, serum C-reactive protein, bacterial lipopolysaccharide, and cleaved cytokeratin 18, and both serum and fecal zonulin were elevated in dogs with IL when compared to dogs with other gastrointestinal conditions [ 84 ]. Although nitric oxide is known to relax lymphatic vessels, there was no significant difference in inducible nitric oxide synthase between IL-positive and IL-negative tissues [ 85 ].…”