Claudin-5-positive angioleiomyoma in the uterus of a degu ( Octodon degus )

Abstract

A 5-year-old female degu (Octodon degus ) showed the clinical sign of metrorrhagia. During ovariohysterectomy a circumscribed tumoural lesion was found in the right uterine horn. The histopathological diagnosis of this soft tissue mass was primary benign cavernous angioleiomyoma of the uterus. During immunohistochemical analysis the neoplastic endothelial cells of this mixed mesenchymal tumour showed strong membrane positivity for the endothelial marker claudin-5 but were negative for CD31 (another endothelial marker). The endothelial cells of the internal positive control tissues such as intact peritumoural vessels were positive for claudin-5 but negative for the CD31 endothelial marker. As it has been described also in other species, it seems that claudin-5 is a better endothelial marker than CD31 for the detection of normal and neoplastic endothelial cells in different tissues of degus.