Colonic endocrine cells in patients with familial amyloidotic polyneuropathy

Objective, To establish whether the endocrine cell number is affected in th e colon in Japanese FAP patients. Setting, Department of Medicine, Umea University Hospital and Department of Internal Medicine and Pathology, University Hospital, Kumamoto, Japan. . Subjects:Autopsy colon tissue specimens from 11 FAP patients and nine contr ols as well as 12 control biopsy specimens were included in the study. Measurements, Endocrine cells in the colon were detected by immunohistochem istry and quantified by computerized image analysis. Results, The autopsy material showed a slight autolysis. Neither enterogluc agon nor pancreatic polypeptide positive cells could be detected in the aut opsy material, but were present in biopsy material. There was no statistica l difference between autopsy and biopsy specimens regarding the number of p eptide YY (PYY), somatostatin and serotonin cells. No significant differenc es were noted in PYY, somatostatin and serotonin immunoreactive cells in FA P patients compared to autopsy controls, though PW cells tended to be decre ased and serotonin and somatostatin cells tended to be increased in FAP pat ients. Conclusion, The difference between the Swedish and Japanese patients in the endocrine cell content points to the possibility of involvement of other f actors than the endocrine cell depletion of the colon might be involved in the pathogenesis of gastrointestinal dysfunction in FAP, The tendency of PW to decrease in Japanese FAP might contribute to the development of diarrho ea in these patients.