Exocrine Pancreas in Cats With Diabetes Mellitus

Abstract

Pancreatitis has been described in cats with diabetes mellitus, although the number of studies currently available is very limited. In addition, ketoacidosis has been hypothesized to be associated with pancreatitis in diabetic cats. The aims of the present study were to investigate whether diabetic cats have pancreatitis and to determine if pancreatitis is more frequent with ketoacidosis. Samples of pancreas were collected postmortem from 37 diabetic cats, including 15 with ketoacidosis, and 20 control cats matched for age, sex, breed, and body weight. Sections were stained with hematoxylin and eosin, double-labeled for insulin/CD3, insulin/CD20, insulin/myeloperoxidase, insulin/PCNA, and glucagon/Ki67, and single-labeled for Iba1. A previously proposed semiquantitative score was used to characterize pancreatitis, along with counts of inflammatory cells. Scores of pancreatitis and the number of neutrophils, macrophages, and lymphocytes in the exocrine pancreas did not differ between diabetic and control cats or between diabetic cats with and without ketoacidosis. Of note, PCNA-positive acinar cells were increased (P ¼ .002) in diabetic cats, particularly near islets (P < .001). Ki67-positive acinar cells were increased only near islets (P ¼ .038). Ketoacidosis was not linked to proliferation. The results suggest that histopathologic evidence of pancreatitis may not be more frequent in diabetic cats and that ketoacidosis may not be associated with it at the time of death. Augmented PCNA-positive acinar cells might indicate increased proliferation due to chronic pancreatitis. The reason behind the prevalent proliferation of acinar cells surrounding pancreatic islets deserves further investigation.

Evaluation of insulin-like growth factor-1, total thyroxine, feline pancreas-specific lipase and urinary corticoid-to-creatinine ratio in cats with diabetes mellitus in Switzerland and the Netherlands

“…34,35 Further evidence for similar frequencies of pancreatitis in diabetic and non-diabetic cats was found in a recent study in which 68% of diabetic cats and 60% of matched control cats had histological evidence of pancreatitis. 36 In another study, the results of the serum fPLI measurements also indicated a high prevalence of pancreatitis with fPLI being increased in 33% of newly diagnosed diabetic cats and increased within 6 months of diagnosis in another 17% of diabetic cats. In the majority of cases, however, pancreatitis was considered to be subclinical because only 1/30 cats had a short episode of clinical signs possibly associated with pancreatitis.…”

Feline Comorbidities: Clinical perspective on diabetes mellitus and pancreatitis

“…18,19 The majority of cats with pancreatitis were asymptomatic in these studies. Results from necropsy studies are conflicting; histological evidence of pancreatitis was found in 51-57% of cats with DM in one study, 20 but, in another study, histological evidence of pancreatitis was not more common in diabetic cats compared with control cats; 21 although there were several limitations to the latter study.…”

INFORMATIVE BIOMARKERS IN THE STUDY OF THE PROCESSES OF PROLIFERATION, APOPTOSIS AND AUTOPHAGY IN THE TISSUES OF THE DIGESTIVE SYSTEM IN EXPERIMENTAL METABOLIC SYNDROME. Review

“…ϳä ÷àñ äîñë³äaeåííÿ ñòàíó ï³äøëóíêîâî¿ çàëîçè ó êîò³â, õâîðèõ íà ä³àáåò, áóëî âñòàíîâëåíî, ùî ó íèõ ê³ëüê³ñòü PCNA-ïîçèòèâíèõ àöèíàðíèõ êë³òèí åê-çîêðèííî¿ ÷àñòèíè ï³äøëóíêîâî¿ çàëîçè áóëà á³ëüøîþ, í³ae ó êîò³â, ÿê³ íå õâîð³ëè íà ä³àáåò. Öÿ çàêîíîì³ðí³ñòü îñîáëèâî ÿñêðàâî ïðîÿâëÿëàñÿ ïîáëèçó îñòð³âö³â [48].…”