The Relationship Between Duodenal Enterochromaffin Cell Distribution and Degree of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) In Dogs

Despite numerous studies carried out over the last 15 years in veterinary medicine, the pathogenesis of canine Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) has still not been completely elucidated. In particular, unlike what has been demonstrated in human medicine, the influence of serotonin on clinical signs in canine IBD has not yet been clarified. The objective of this paper has been to seek a possible correlation between duodenal epithelial distribution of serotonin-producing cells (enterochromaffin cells) and disease-grading parameters (clinical, clinico-pathological, endoscopic and histopathological) in dogs with IBD. The medical records of dogs with a diagnosis of IBD were retrospectively reviewed and 21 client-owned dogs with a diagnosis of IBD were registered. Clinical score (by Canine Chronic Enteropathy Clinical Activity Index), laboratory examinations (albumin, total cholesterol, folate, cobalamin), endoscopic score and histopathological score, were compared by regression analysis with duodenal enterochromaffin cell percentage. The study results suggested a relationship between a decrease in folate absorption and an increase in duodenal enterochromaffin cell percentage (regression equation y=16.89-6.14x; coefficient of determination r2= 0.7; significant level: P=0.007). However no significant relationship was evidenced between duodenal enterochromaffin cell percentage and the other analyzed variables.