Feline hyperaldosteronism: immunohistochemical, genetic and functional characterisation of the adrenal gland in hypertensive cats

Hypertension is a common problem in geriatric cats, particularly those with renal disease. It is often not recognised until the cat is presented with irreversible blindness. Cats with hypertension have lower plasma potassium, and higher aldosterone concentrations, than age-matched normotensive cats with comparable severity of azotaemia.

Geriatric cats (both normotensive and hypertensive) commonly have micronodular hyperplasia of their adrenal glands. We postulate that hyper-functional, aldosterone-producing, adrenal nodules play a major role in the pathogenesis of feline hypertension. As such, there are clear parallels between cats and humans. Classically most humans with primary hyperaldosteronism have been considered to have either aldosterone-producing adenomas (APA) or bilateral adrenal hyperplasia. Recent improvements in phenotypic and genotypic characterisation have shown that this classification is an over-simplification. Even in adrenal glands containing APAs the surrounding tissue may not be atrophied, but contain multiple smaller nodules. In addition the zonation of the APAs may be unexpected with some of the larger APAs residing in the zona fasiculata, rather in the zona glomerulosa. Classification of APAs in humans has now advanced to the molecular level with the recognition of somatic mutations in inward rectifier potassium channel 4 (KCNJ5), the voltage-gated calcium channel (CACNA1D), Sodium/Potassium-ATPase (ATP1A1), Ca2+-ATPase (ATP2B3) and Beta-catenin (CTNNB1). Receptors for luteinizing hormone (LH) have been demonstrated in human adrenal glands and their expression may be increased in APAs. This is of interest because most cats are neutered and this results in increased LH concentrations and it is postulated that activation of these receptors could result in adrenal hyperplasia.

A small number of hypertensive cats present with overt signs of 'Conn's syndrome' with severe hypokalaemic myopathy resulting in cervical ventroflexion and with an identifiable, surgically-resectable, adrenal mass. Other types of functional adrenal tumour including those resulting in hypercortisolism and excessive production of sex-steroids are less common. Some feline adrenal tumours have mixed functionality. Interestingly, it seems likely that cats (like dogs) have only one CYP11B gene, resulting in the production of a single dual-function enzyme rather than separate aldosterone synthase and 11-beta hydroxylase (cortisol synthase) as occurs in humans. This leads to the question of how (or indeed if) functional zonation, and independently regulated synthesis of cortisol and aldosterone, occurs in the cat in health and how this might be altered when hyperplasia or adenoma develop.