Thrombomodulin Expression in Tissues From Dogs With Systemic Inflammatory Disease

Area of Science:

• Veterinary Pathology
• Immunohistochemistry
• Endothelial Biology

Background:

• Thrombomodulin (TM) is a key glycoprotein in the protein C pathway, crucial for anticoagulation.
• Inflammation in humans down-regulates endothelial TM expression, increasing thrombosis risk.
• Canine TM expression and inflammatory effects remain understudied.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate endothelial TM expression in canine tissues.
• To assess the impact of systemic inflammation on TM levels in dogs.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of lung, spleen, and liver tissues from dogs with and without systemic inflammation.
• Immunohistochemistry (IHC) utilized for TM expression evaluation.
• A modified manual IHC scoring system applied for quantification.

Main Results:

• Endothelial TM expression was significantly reduced in all examined tissues.
• Reduced TM expression observed in dogs with septic peritonitis and acute pancreatitis.

Conclusions:

• Systemic inflammatory diseases in dogs are associated with decreased endothelial TM expression.
• This reduction may contribute to an increased risk of thrombotic events in affected dogs.