title: Bladder Hyperactivity Induced by Chronic Variable Stress in Rats.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the effect of chronic stress on bladder function. We used awake cystometry and investigated the expressions of contractile-associated proteins.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixteen adult female Sprague-Dawley rats, weighing approximately 220 g, were randomly assigned and divided into control (CON, n = 8) and chronic variable stress (CVS, n = 7) groups. The rats of the CVS group spent 6 weeks under the CVS protocol. After 6 weeks, continuous filling cystometry was performed on conscious animals. The basal pressure, maximal pressure, micturition duration, threshold pressure, micturition interval and micturition volume were measured in each rat. After measuring cystometric parameters, the rat was sacrificed. Western blotting of the entire urinary bladder was performed for detecting the changes in contractile-associated protein expression.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Compared to the control group, basal pressure and threshold pressure were significantly higher (P < 0.05) while micturition duration, micturition interval and micturition volume were significantly lower in the CVS group (P < 0.05). In the western blot study, neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) expression was weaker and RhoA/Rho-kinase alpha were stronger in the CVS group than those in the CON group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results suggest that chronic variable stress induces changes in bladder function lead to bladder hyperactivity and possibly related to the changes in RhoA/Rho-kinase and nNOS.
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, School of Medicine, Wonkwang University, Iksan, Korea.
authors.forename: Dong Youp
authors.initials: DY
authors.lastname: Han
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, School of Medicine, Wonkwang University, Iksan, Korea.
authors.forename: Hee Jong
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Jeong
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Institute of Wonkwang Medical Science, School of Medicine, Wonkwang University, Iksan, Korea.
authors.forename: Moon Young
authors.initials: MY
authors.lastname: Lee
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000378:metabolism; D015153:Blotting, Western; D005260:Female; D052248:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type I / Q000378:metabolism; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology; D001743:Urinary Bladder / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology*; D053201:Urinary Bladder, Overactive / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology; D014554:Urination / Q000502:physiology; D014563:Urodynamics / Q000502:physiology; D054460:rho-Associated Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D020742:rhoA GTP-Binding Protein / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D052248:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type I; D054460:rho-Associated Kinases; D020742:rhoA GTP-Binding Protein
keywords: RhoA/Rho-kinase; awake cystometry; chronic variable stress; neuronal nitric oxide synthase