Morphometric and vascular analyses and MMP-2 expression in bladders of animals with bovine enzootic haematuria

Archanjo, Anderson Barros; Tamiasso, Natalia Viana; Cosme, Juliana de Castro; Silva, Maria Aparecida da; Trivilin, Leonardo Oliveira; Sequeira, Julio Lopes; Nunes, Louisiane de Carvalho

Morphometric and vascular analyses and MMP-2 expression in bladders of animals with bovine enzootic haematuria

Archanjo, Anderson BarrosTamiasso, Natalia VianaCosme, Juliana de CastroSilva, Maria Aparecida daTrivilin, Leonardo OliveiraSequeira, Julio LopesNunes, Louisiane de Carvalho

Background: Bovine enzootic haematuria is a chronic, non-infectious disease caused by the ingestion of bracken Pteridiumaquilinum that contain ptaquiloside, substance responsible for the development of neoplasms in combination with bovinepapillomavirus infection. Studies examining metalloproteinases have shown that these enzymes may be useful as prognosticmarkers and many studies have correlated the intratumoural microvessel density and incidence of metastasis in a varietyof cancers, including bladder cancer. This study aimed to evaluate the urothelial morphology and vasculature and quantifythe expression of the enzyme metalloproteinase-2 in the bladder lesions of bovine with enzootic haematuria.Materials, Methods & Results: Forty bladders with macroscopic lesions were subjected to routine histological processing. The material was stained using the Hematoxylin-Eosin (HE) and Weigerts resorcin-fuchsin staining methods. Themorphometric analysis included the measurement of the total thickness of the urothelium. Microscopically, the lesionswere differentiated as neoplastic or non-neoplastic, and the vascular changes were characterised as vascular proliferation,ectasia, dilation and thickening and the material stained using the Weigerts resorcin-fuchsin method was used to evaluatesclerosis and the vascular fibroelastosis. The metalloproteinase expression was evaluated using an anti-metalloproteinase-2antibody. The main non-neoplastic lesions found in the urothelium included clear cell metaplasia, dysplasia, hyperplasia,haemorrhage, cystitis cystica and Brunns nests and the neoplastic lesions were haemangioma, myxoma, transitional cellcarcinoma, adenocarcinoma, in situ carcinoma and haemangiosarcoma. The urothelium measurements revealed differencesbetween the epithelial thicknesses of bladders with and without neoplasms. The bladder vasculature evaluation revealed...(AU)