A novel in-vitro system for the simultaneous exposure of bladder smooth muscle cells to mechanical strain and sustained hydrostatic pressure.
The novel hydrostrain system was designed in an effort to establish and maintain conditions that simulate the in-vivo mechanical environment of the bladder. In this laboratory system, ovine bladder smooth muscle cells on flexible, 10-cm-dia silastic membranes were exposed simultaneously to hydrostatic pressure (40 cm H2O, a pressure level currently associated with bladder pathologies) and mechanical strains (up to 25 percent) under standard cell culture conditions for 7 h. Under these conditions, Heparin Binding-Epidermal Growth Factor and Collagen Type III mRNA expression were significantly increased (p<0.01 and 0.1, respectively); however, no changes were observed in Collagen Type I mRNA expression. Decreases in the Collagen Type I:Type III ratio following simultaneous exposure of bladder smooth muscle cells to pathological levels of hydrostatic pressure and mechanical strain in vitro are in agreement with clinically observed increases in Collagen Type III with concomitant decreased human bladder compliance. The results of the present study, therefore, provide cellular/molecular level information relevant to bladder pathology that could have significant implications in the field of clinical urology.
Haberstroh
Karen M
KM
Department of Biomedical Engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY 12180, USA.
Kaefer
Martin
M
DePaola
Natacha
N
Frommer
Sarah A
SA
Bizios
Rena
R
D000818:Animals; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D024042:Collagen Type I / Q000235:genetics; D024061:Collagen Type III / Q000235:genetics; D004129:Dimethylpolysiloxanes / Q000737:chemistry; D004815:Epidermal Growth Factor / Q000235:genetics; D004867:Equipment Design; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000502:physiology*; D066257:Heparin-binding EGF-like Growth Factor; D006874:Hydrostatic Pressure; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D032389:Myocytes, Smooth Muscle / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D012016:Reference Values; D012212:Rheology / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D012756:Sheep; D012828:Silicones / Q000737:chemistry; D013314:Stress, Mechanical; D001743:Urinary Bladder / Q000166:cytology / Q000196:embryology / Q000502:physiology*
D024042:Collagen Type I; D024061:Collagen Type III; D004129:Dimethylpolysiloxanes; C587883:HBEGF protein, human; D066257:Heparin-binding EGF-like Growth Factor; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D012828:Silicones; D004815:Epidermal Growth Factor; C013830:baysilon