title: Enhancement of bacillus Calmette-Guerin attachment to the urothelium by removal of the rabbit bladder mucin layer.
abstract: It has been established that the urothelial mucin layer functions as a bacterial anti-adherence factor. Intravesical Bacillus Calmette-Guerin is used to treat patients with superficial bladder cancer. The proposed mechanism of action of Bacillus Calmette-Guerin is adherence to the urothelium with induction of an immunologic and/or inflammatory response. The current study was designed to determine if rabbit bladder mucin removal results in increased Bacillus Calmette-Guerin urothelial adherence. PAS and colloidal iron stains were used to demonstrate that intravesical instillation of 50% acetone renders rabbit bladder urothelium mucin deficient. The urothelium remains mucin deficient at two hours, but by 24 hours the mucin layer has been regenerated. Two hours following intravesical 3H-labeled Escherichia coli administration, bacterial adherence was 29-fold greater in mucin deficient than mucin intact rabbits (p = 0.05). By 12 hours, the difference in adherence was not significant. Two hours following intravesical administration of 3H-labeled Bacillus Calmette Guerin, mucosal adherence was 21-fold greater in mucin deficient compared to mucin intact rabbits (p = 0.002). After mucin removal, Bacillus Calmette Guerin urothelial adherence was significantly increased. The significant increase in Bacillus Calmette Guerin adherence after mucin removal may be clinically exploitable.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Ohio State University, Columbus.
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Badalament
authors.forename: G L
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Franklin
authors.forename: C M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Page
authors.forename: B M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Dasani
authors.forename: M G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Wientjes
authors.forename: J R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Drago
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001422:Bacterial Adhesion; D004848:Epithelium / Q000382:microbiology; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000502:physiology; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D008297:Male; D009077:Mucins / Q000502:physiology*; D009163:Mycobacterium bovis / Q000502:physiology*; D011817:Rabbits; D001743:Urinary Bladder / Q000382:microbiology*
chemical_list: D009077:Mucins