title: Urethral striated muscle and extracellular matrix morphological characteristics among mildly diabetic pregnant rats: translational approach.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Diabetes mellitus (DM) during pregnancy is associated with high levels of urinary incontinence (UI) and pelvic floor muscle dysfunction. Mild DM can lead to changes in urethral striated muscle and extracellular matrix (ECM) in pregnant rats considering both structures as an entire system responsible for urinary continence.
  
  
  METHODS
  Ninety-two female Wistar rats were distributed in four experimental groups: virgin, pregnant, diabetic, and diabetic pregnant. In adult life, parental nondiabetic female rats were mated with nondiabetic male rats to obtain newborns. At the first day of birth, newborns received citrate buffer (nondiabetic group) or streptozotocin 100 mg/kg body weight, subcutaneous route (mild DM group). At day 21 of the pregnancy, the rats were lethally anesthetized and the urethra and vagina were extracted as a unit. Urethral and vaginal sections were cut and analyzed by: (a) cytochemical staining for ECM and muscle structural components, (b) immunohistochemistry to identify fast- and slow-muscle fibers, and (c) transmission electron microscopy for ultrastructural analysis of urethral striated muscle.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In comparison with the three control groups, variations in the urethral striated muscle and ECM from diabetic pregnant rats were observed including thinning, atrophy, fibrosis, increased area of blood vessels, mitochondria accumulation, increased lipid droplets, glycogen granules associated with colocalization of fast and slow fibers, and a steady decrease in the proportion of fast to slow fibers.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Mild DM and pregnancy can lead to a time-dependent disorder and tissue remodeling in which the urethral striated muscle and ECM has a fundamental function.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Experimental Research on Gynecology and Obstetrics, Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Botucatu Medical School, Universidade Estadual Paulista-UNESP, Botucatu, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Fernanda
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Piculo
authors.forename: Gabriela
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Marini
authors.forename: Angélica Mércia Pascon
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Barbosa
authors.forename: Débora Cristina
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Damasceno
authors.forename: Selma Maria Michelin
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Matheus
authors.forename: Sérgio Luis
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Felisbino
authors.forename: Firouz
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Daneshgari
authors.forename: Marilza Vieira Cunha
authors.initials: MV
authors.lastname: Rudge
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001284:Atrophy; D001808:Blood Vessels / Q000473:pathology; D003921:Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental / Q000473:pathology*; D005109:Extracellular Matrix / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D005260:Female; D005355:Fibrosis; D006003:Glycogen / Q000648:ultrastructure; D008055:Lipids; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000473:pathology; D018656:Muscle Fibers, Fast-Twitch / Q000648:ultrastructure; D018657:Muscle Fibers, Slow-Twitch / Q000648:ultrastructure; D054792:Muscle, Striated / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D011247:Pregnancy; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D014521:Urethra / Q000098:blood supply / Q000473:pathology*
chemical_list: D008055:Lipids; D006003:Glycogen
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