Cytokine expression after vaginal distention of different durations in virgin Sprague-Dawley rats.
OBJECTIVE
We investigated the effect of the duration of vaginal distention on the differential expression of stem cell homing, tissue repair cytokines and cytokine receptors to identify the factors most important for recovery from injury.


METHODS
A total of 20, 10-week-old virgin Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into 4 groups, including 1, 4 and 6-hour vaginal distention, and anesthetized sham operation. The vagina, bladder, urethra and rectum were harvested immediately after vaginal distention. Real-time polymerase chain reaction was used to determine the relative expression of cytokines and receptors of interest. Mixed models analysis was used to determine associations between expression levels and vaginal distention duration.


RESULTS
Positive associations between vaginal distention duration and the urethral expression level were found for 1 of the receptors of monocyte chemotactic protein-3, CCR1 (p = 0.0001) as well as for monocyte chemotactic protein-3 (p = 0.025), CCR5 (p = 0.032) and hypoxia inducible factor-1alpha (p = 0.023). A positive relationship between vaginal distention duration and monocyte chemotactic protein-3 expression was also observed in rectal tissue (p = 0.035). Urethral expression of CCR2, another receptor for monocyte chemotactic protein-3, approached significance (p = 0.066). An inverse relationship between vaginal distention duration and interleukin-8 expression was found in the bladder (p = 0.0008). No association was noted between vaginal distention duration and the expression of stromal derived factor-1, CXCR4, CCR3 and vascular endothelial growth factor in any pelvic organs.


CONCLUSIONS
These data support a relationship between vaginal distention duration and the subsequent expression of monocyte chemotactic protein-3 and 1 of its associated receptors, CCR1, in the urethra immediately following vaginal distention. The increase in hypoxia-inducible factor1alpha expression in the urethra with prolonged vaginal distention suggests a limited role of tissue ischemia in the immediate response of pelvic organs to vaginal distention.
Glickman Urological and Kidney Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio, USA.
Hadley M
HM
Wood
Mei
M
Kuang
Lynn
L
Woo
Adonis
A
Hijaz
Robert S
RS
Butler
Marc
M
Penn
Raymond
R
Rackley
Margot S
MS
Damaser
D000818:Animals; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000378:metabolism*; D016207:Cytokines / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D018945:Monocyte Chemoattractant Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D011336:Probability; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D019718:Receptors, CXCR4 / Q000378:metabolism; D019707:Receptors, Chemokine / Q000378:metabolism; D012007:Rectum / Q000378:metabolism; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012746:Sexual Abstinence; D013314:Stress, Mechanical; D013997:Time Factors; D014521:Urethra / Q000378:metabolism; D001743:Urinary Bladder / Q000378:metabolism; D014621:Vagina / Q000503:physiopathology*
D015415:Biomarkers; D016207:Cytokines; D018945:Monocyte Chemoattractant Proteins; D019718:Receptors, CXCR4; D019707:Receptors, Chemokine