Amyloid deposits in the gastrointestinal tract of aging dogs

Pathologic features, immunohistochemical characteristics, and incidence of gastrointestinal amyloid deposition were investigated in 78 canine necropsies, including 43 males and 35 females ranging from 2 months to 20 years of age. In 31 of 78 dogs, amyloid protein was accumulated in or around vessel walls located in submucosal and muscular layers of the alimentary tract and mesenteric tissues. These deposits did not seem to affect the function(s) of the digestive tract histologically. The deposits showed congophilia and green birefringence under polarized microscopy. Transmission electron microscopy revealed randomly arranged amyloid fibrils 6-10 nm in diameter around a blood vessel. Congophilia was retained even after oxidation with potassium permanganate, suggesting that this protein is not the AA form of amyloid. Although immunohistochemical studies were performed using antibodies to canine amyloid apolipoprotein AI and synthetic human beta amyloid peptide, the immunochemical nature of the protein was not determined. The mean ages of both male and female dogs with gastrointestinal amyloid deposition were higher than those of their normal counterparts (P < 0.001), and the incidence of deposition in elderly dogs was higher than that in young dogs (P < 0.005). However, there was no sex predilection with respect to both the mean age of the dogs with deposition and the incidence of occurrence. The mechanism(s) and importance of this form of amyloid deposition remain unclear.