Bladder Smooth Muscle (bladder + smooth_muscle)

Distribution by Scientific Domains

Terms modified by Bladder Smooth Muscle

  • bladder smooth muscle cell

  • Selected Abstracts


    Electroporation-mediated muscarinic M3 receptor gene transfer into rat urinary bladder

    INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF UROLOGY, Issue 11 2004
    MASAYUKI OTANI
    Abstract Background: Muscarinic M3 (M3) receptor has been recognized as a major muscarinic receptor for smooth muscle contractions of the urinary bladder. Under the hypothesis that overexpression of M3 receptor in the urinary bladder would enhance urinary bladder contractions, we have transferred the M3 receptor gene into rat bladders using electroporation (EP) and evaluated the functional expression of the transferred gene. Methods: Plasmids expressing luciferase, a green fluorescence protein and M3 receptor were injected into the rat bladder and square-wave electric pulses were immediately applied. Two days after gene transfer, we analyzed gene expression. Immunohistochemical staining was performed and the contractile responses from isolated bladder strips, which were induced KCl, carbachol and electrical field stimulation (EFS), were evaluated. Results: The optimal conditions of electroporation were 8 pulses, 45 voltages, 50 milliseconds/pulses and 1 Hz. Under these conditions, luciferase gene expression was enhanced approximately 300-fold, compared to an injection of DNA only. Regarding immunohistochemistry with an anti-M3 receptor, an increase in immunoactivity was observed in the M3 receptor gene transferred rat bladder, compared to the bladder of the control rat. In rats with the transferred M3 receptor gene, carbachol- and EFS-induced maximum contractile responses of bladder smooth muscle strips significantly increased. Conclusions: These findings suggest that an in vivo EP procedure is an useful method for gene transfer into the bladder and that an overexpression of M3 receptor in the rat bladder enhances bladder contractility. This technique may become a new treatment modality for detrusor underactivity. [source]


    Bladder smooth muscle cell phenotypic changes and implication of expression of contractile proteins (especially caldesmon) in rats after partial outlet obstruction

    INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF UROLOGY, Issue 6 2003
    SEIJI MATSUMOTO
    Abstract Background: The purpose of the present study was to investigate morphological changes in bladder smooth muscle of rats with partial outlet obstruction. We investigated smooth muscle cell phenotypic changes and implication of synthetic phenotype in contractility decrease and bladder compliance after bladder outlet obstruction. Methods: Partial bladder outlet obstruction was introduced in female rats. Bladder were removed at 1, 3, 6, 10 and 20 weeks after the obstruction. Temporal pattern of changes in bladder mass, light microscopic pathogenesis and phenotypic expression of the bladder smooth muscle cells in the electron micrographs were investigated. Expression of contractile protein was also investigated by the immunoblotting method. Results: Marked increase in bladder mass with marked thickening of smooth muscle layer was observed at 1 week after obstruction. The ratio of myocytes exhibiting contractile and synthetic phenotypes was almost constant until 6 weeks after the obstruction, but thereafter, synthetic phenotypes gradually increased and the ratio (synthetic/contractile phenotype) was 1.5-fold at 20 weeks after the obstruction. Caldesmon was most markedly expressed after the obstruction among contractile proteins examined by the immunoblotting method. Conclusion: Phenotypic changes were confirmed in bladder smooth muscle, and the decrease of the ratio of contractile phenotype was observed after long-term obstruction of the bladder outlet. Among the contractile proteins in the bladder smooth muscle cell, caldesmon was considered a reliable marker for predicting the pathogenetic conditions of the bladder. [source]


    ,3 -Adrenoceptors in urinary bladder,,

    NEUROUROLOGY AND URODYNAMICS, Issue 6 2007
    Osamu Yamaguchi
    Abstract The ,-adrenoceptor (AR) is currently classified into ,1, ,2, and ,3 subtypes. A third subtype, ,3 -AR, was first identified in adipose tissue, but has also been identified in smooth muscle tissue, particularly in the gastrointestinal tract and urinary bladder smooth muscle. There is a predominant expression of ,3 -AR messenger RNA (mRNA) in human bladder, with 97% of total ,-AR mRNA being represented by the ,3 -AR subtype and only 1.5 and 1.4% by the ,1 -AR and , 2 -AR subtypes, respectively. Moreover, the presence of ,1 -, ,2 -, and ,3 -AR mRNAs in the urothelium of human bladder has been identified. The distribution of ,-AR subtypes mediating detrusor muscle relaxation is species dependent, the predominant subtype being the ,3 -AR in humans. Recent studies have suggested that cAMP-dependent routes are not exclusive mechanisms triggering the ,-AR-mediated relaxation of smooth muscle. It has been demonstrated in rats detrusor muscle that cAMP plays a greater role in ,-adrenergic relaxation against basal tone than against KCl-induced tone and that conversely calcium-activated K+ channels (BKca channels) play a greater role under the latter circumstances. In rat models, ,3 -AR agonists increase bladder capacity without influencing bladder contraction and have only weak cardiovascular side effects. Although this evidence points toward the clinical utility of ,3 -AR agonists as therapy for overactive bladder (OAB), pharmacological differences exist between rat and human ,3 -ARs. Development of compounds with high selectivity for the human ,3 -AR, identified by screening techniques using cell lines transfected with the human ,1 -, ,2 -, and ,3 -AR genes, may mitigate against such problems. The association between the tryptophan 64 arginine polymorphism in the ,3 -AR gene and idiopathic OAB is discussed. Neurourol. Urodynam. 26:752,756, 2007. © 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]


    Smooth muscle caveolae differentially regulate specific agonist induced bladder contractions,

    NEUROUROLOGY AND URODYNAMICS, Issue 1 2007
    V. Cristofaro
    Abstract Aims Caveolae are cholesterol-rich plasmalemmal microdomains that serve as sites for sequestration of signaling proteins and thus may facilitate, organize, and integrate responses to extracellular stimuli. While previous studies in the bladder have demonstrated alterations in caveolae with particular physiologic or pathologic conditions, little attention has been focused on the functional significance of these organelles. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the role of caveolae in the modulation of receptor-mediated signal transduction and determine the presence and localization of caveolin proteins in bladder tissue. Methods Contractile responses to physiologic agonists were measured in rat bladder tissue before and after disruption of caveolae achieved by depleting membrane cholesterol with methyl-,-cyclodextrin. Stimulation with agonists was repeated after caveolae were restored as a result of cholesterol replenishment. RT-PCR, immmunohistochemistry, and Western blotting were used to determine the expression and localization of caveolin mRNA and proteins. Results Following caveolae disruption, contractile responses to angiotensin II and serotonin were attenuated, whereas responses to bradykinin and phenylephrine were augmented. Cholesterol replenishment restored responses towards baseline. Carbachol and KCl induced contractions were not affected by caveolae disruption. Ultrastructure analysis confirmed loss of caveolae following cholesterol depletion with cyclodextrin and caveolae restoration following cholesterol replacement. Gene and protein expression of caveolin-1, -2, and -3 was detected in bladder tissue. Immunoreactivity for all three caveolins was observed in smooth muscle cells throughout the bladder. Conclusions The functional effects of cholesterol depletion on specific agonist-induced contractile events and the expression of all three caveolins in bladder smooth muscle support a central role for caveolae in regulation of selective G-protein-coupled receptor signaling pathways in bladder smooth muscle. Thus, caveolae serve to differentially regulate bladder smooth muscle by a stimulus-dependent potentiation or inhibition of bladder contraction. Neurourol. Urodynam. © 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]


    Lipid signaling changes in smooth muscle remodeling associated with partial urinary bladder outlet obstruction

    NEUROUROLOGY AND URODYNAMICS, Issue 2 2006
    Edward LaBelle
    Abstract Aims Hypertrophy of the urinary bladder smooth muscle (detrusor) is associated with partial bladder outlet obstruction (PBOO). Hypertrophied detrusor smooth muscle (DSM) reveals altered contractile characteristics. In this study, we analyzed the lipid-dependent signaling system that includes phospholipase A2 in PBOO-induced DSM remodeling and hypertrophy to determine whether the release of arachidonic acid (AA) from phospholipid is altered in the detrusor. Methods Partial bladder outlet obstruction (PBOO) was produced by partial ligation of the urethra in New Zealand white rabbits. Two weeks after the surgery, the bladder function was studied by keeping the rabbits in metabolic cages for 24 hr. Bladders were removed from rabbits that had bladder dysfunction (increased urinary frequency and decreased void volume) and the DSM separated from mucosa and serosa. The isolated smooth muscle was incubated with [3H] AA to equilibrate the cytoplasmic AA. The level of AA release was compared with the level obtained with 2-week sham-operated rabbits. Results The rate of AA release was high in DSM from bladders with PBOO-induced hypertrophy. Carbachol stimulated AA release in control DSM but DSM from obstructed rabbits revealed no further increase from the elevated basal AA release. The half-maximal concentration of carbachol that was required to stimulate AA release from control samples of detrusor was 35 µM. Conclusions The increased levels of AA release that are observed in this tissue after PBOO indicate the activation of phospholipase A2. The finding that carbachol could induce contraction, but not an increase in AA, indicates that the carbachol-induced contraction in the obstructed bladders is independent of lipid signaling pathways that involve AA. It is possible that the increased rate of arachidonic acid release from obstructed bladders correlates with the enhanced rates of prostaglandin production reported by other investigators from the same tissue. Neurourol. Urodynam. © 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]


    Altered expression of thin filament-associated proteins in hypertrophied urinary bladder smooth muscle

    NEUROUROLOGY AND URODYNAMICS, Issue 1 2006
    Anita S. Mannikarottu
    Abstract Aims Obstruction of the urinary bladder outlet induces detrusor smooth muscle (DSM) hypertrophy. The goal of this study was to determine whether the composition of thin filament-associated proteins, known to play important roles in cytoskeletal structure and/or the regulation of contraction, is altered in DSM during hypertrophy. Methods DSM hypertrophy was induced in male rabbits by partial ligation of the urethra. Sham-operated rabbits served as a control. Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and real-time PCR revealed a significant increase in the expression of mRNAs for basic (h1) calponin (CaP), and ,-isoform of tropomyosin (Tm) in hypertrophied DSM compared to controls. Western blotting and two-dimensional (2-D) gel electrophoresis showed enhanced expression of these proteins and also a significant increase in the expression of ,-non muscle and ,-smooth muscle actin in the DSM from obstructed bladders, while ,-actin remained constant. Results Enhanced expression of these proteins in the DSM from obstructed bladders was confirmed by immunofluorescence microscopy. Double immunostaining with Cap/Tm and ,/,-actin-specific antibodies showed co-localization of these proteins in myocytes. Colocalization of smooth muscle specific myosin and CaP to cytoplasmic filaments in cells dissociated from the hypertrophied DSM indicated that these cells are differentiated smooth muscle cells. Conclusions The change in the isoforms of actin, Cap, and Tm may be part of the molecular mechanism for bladder compensation in increased urethral resistance. Neurourol. Urodynam. © 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]


    Murine in vitro whole bladder model: A method for assessing phenotypic responses to pharmacologic stimuli and hypoxia

    NEUROUROLOGY AND URODYNAMICS, Issue 4 2004
    Joel C. Hutcheson
    Abstract Aims Recent advances in genetic manipulation have allowed for over expression or deletion of selective genes in mice. This offers urologic investigators new means of understanding bladder function in the context of normal development or the response to outlet obstruction. It is important to correlate any genetic manipulations in mice with specific phenotypic properties such as voiding patterns, or muscle strip physiology. We describe a simple in vivo whole bladder preparation that may be used to study the phenotypic changes in bladder function. Methods Murine bladders were mounted on a 30 gauge needle and mounted in an organ chamber containing a physiologic buffer solution. Passive bladder properties were assessed with cystometry, and active contractile responses were measured in response to electrical field stimulation and agonists. The effects of hypoxia were also studied. Results Compliance in the murine bladder is dependent upon actin myosin interactions, and increased in the presence of calcium free buffer and EGTA. The sarcoplasmic reticulum plays a smaller role in the contraction of murine bladder than in other species. Murine bladder smooth muscle demonstrated a remarkable ability to withstand hypoxia. Conclusions This simple model can be adapted to help study the murine bladder smooth muscle phenotype under highly controlled circumstances. © 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]


    BXL-628, a vitamin D receptor agonist effective in benign prostatic hyperplasia treatment, prevents RhoA activation and inhibits RhoA/Rho kinase signaling in rat and human bladder

    THE PROSTATE, Issue 3 2007
    Annamaria Morelli
    Abstract BACKGROUND BXL-628 is a calcitriol analog shown to decrease prostate growth in preclinical and clinical studies. BPH symptoms are generated not only by prostate overgrowth but also by bladder overactivity, resulting from an increased RhoA/Rho-kinase signaling. Because bladder smooth muscle cells express VDR, we studied effects of BXL-628 on this pathway. METHODS RhoA and Rho-kinase gene expression and functional activity were studied in rat and human bladder smooth muscle by real-time RT-PCR, immuno-kinase assays, western blot analysis, confocal microscopy, in vitro contractility, and cell migration. RESULTS In bladder smooth muscle, carbachol responsiveness was delayed and Rho-kinase activity reduced by BXL-628 treatment because of impaired RhoA membrane translocation and activation. Accordingly, RhoA-mediated biological functions, such as cell migration and cytoskeleton remodeling were also inhibited by BXL-628. CONCLUSIONS BXL-628 inhibits RhoA/Rho-kinase signaling, a calcium sensitizing pathway, suggesting its possible clinical use in the treatment of altered bladder contractility often associated with BPH-induced lower urinary tract symptoms. Prostate 67:234,247, 2007. © 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]


    Effects of natural tachykinins on ovine lower urinary tract smooth muscle

    AUTONOMIC & AUTACOID PHARMACOLOGY, Issue 2 2001
    P. Tucci
    1,Numerous studies have demonstrated that the urinary bladder is particularly sensitive to tachykinins; rat, rabbit and guinea pig bladders, besides human detrusor, have been the most extensively studied, whereas very little is known about most large animal detrusors. The aim of this work was to study natural tachykinin activity on the lower urinary tract of ovine to make a comparison with data obtained in laboratory animals. 2,As in other animal species, tachykinins are also able to contract ovine bladder smooth muscle. 3,The results reported in this study indicate that in ovine bladder, neurokinin 2 (NK2) receptors are expressed most. In fact, on lamb and sheep bladder neurokinin A (NKA), a NK2- almost selective peptide, was shown to be > 100% more active than the natural tachykinins kassinin (KASS) and eledoisin (ELED). Eledoisin was shown to be 50% less active than KASS, which is typical behaviour for an almost exclusively NK2 receptor population. Moreover, NK1- preferential peptides, namely substance P (SP) and physalaemin (PHYS), showed a lack of activity even when applied at high concentrations. 4,The results reported in this study show that lamb and sheep detrusor represent a good alternative model for the characterization of NK2-selective tachykinins. [source]


    Effects of ovariectomy and oestrogen replacement on the function and expression of Rho-kinase in rat bladder smooth muscle

    BJU INTERNATIONAL, Issue 5 2006
    Sung K. Hong
    OBJECTIVE To investigate the effects of ovariectomy and oestrogen replacement on the function and expression of Rho-kinase in rat bladder smooth muscle, as the actual effects of oestrogen deprivation on bladder smooth muscle are unclear. MATERIALS AND METHODS Female Sprague,Dawley rats were placed into one of three groups: sham-operated, bilateral ovariectomy-only, and bilateral ovariectomy plus oestrogen replacement groups. In the last group, oestrogen was replaced by weekly injection of ,-estradiol 17-cypionate (250 µg/kg subcutaneously for 6 weeks) beginning at 1 week after ovariectomy, whereas the other groups received vehicle-only injections for 6 weeks. After treatment, the bladder was removed for muscle strip studies to evaluate the effects of Y-27632, a specific inhibitor of Rho-kinase, on baseline tension and carbachol-induced tonic contractions. Also, the protein expression of RhoA and Rho-kinase isoenzymes was assessed by Western blot analysis. RESULTS Of the three groups, incubation with 10 µm Y-27632 resulted in the largest decrease in baseline tension of strips from the bilateral ovariectomy-only group, but this was not statistically significant (P > 0.05). For carbachol-induced tonic contractions, strips from the bilateral ovariectomy-only group were attenuated the most among the three groups after adding Y-27632 (P < 0.05). However, there were no significant differences in the levels of RhoA and the two Rho-kinase isoenzymes in bladder tissues from the three groups. CONCLUSION Our data show that oestrogen might inhibit the function of Rho-kinase in bladder smooth muscle, while having no significant effect on its expression. This finding might help to explain the greater incidence of urinary tract symptoms suggestive of overactive bladder after the menopause in women. [source]