title: Distribution of interstitial cells of Cajal in the bladders of fetal rats with retinoic acid induced myelomeningocele.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Myelomeningocele (MMC) is one of the most common reason of neurogenic bladder dysfunction in children. Although neurogenic bladder dysfunction occurrence is related with bladder innervation, also there are some changes seen in the smooth muscle and neural cells of the bladder. Interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC) are the pacemaker cells found in organs with peristaltic activity. Although it has been shown that ICC are diminished in the rat urinary bladder with traumatic spinal cord injury, there is no data about ICC in fetal rat bladders with MMC. This study has been conducted to investigate the ICC in the bladders of fetal rats with retinoic acid induced MMC.
  
  
  METHODS
  Time dated pregnant Wistar albino rats were divided into 3 groups. In MMC group, dams were fed with gavage solution containing 60 mg/kg all-trans retinoic acid dissolved in olive oil on 10. embryologic day. Sham group animals were fed only olive oil. Control group dams were fed with standard rat chow. Fetuses were delivered by cesarean section and harvested on 22. embryologic day. MMC was identified by observing MMC sacs at the back of the fetuses. Distribution of ICCs were evaluated using immunohistochemical staining.
  
  
  RESULTS
  ICCs were found in all groups, which have the same morphological features that had been described earlier in the gastrointestinal tract and the bladder. The density of the ICC in the MMC group was found to be significantly decreased when compared with the control and the sham groups (p<0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The density of the ICC in the urinary bladder decreased in the neurogenic bladder developed in MMC.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Pediatric Surgery, Section of Pediatric Urology, Ege University School of Medicine, İzmir, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tekin
authors.affiliation: Departments of Pediatric Surgery, Dokuz Eylül University School of Medicine, İzmir, Turkey.
authors.forename: Osman Zeki
authors.initials: OZ
authors.lastname: Karakuş
authors.affiliation: Departments of Pediatric Surgery, Dokuz Eylül University School of Medicine, İzmir, Turkey.
authors.forename: Gülce
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Hakgüder
authors.affiliation: Departments of Pediatric Surgery, Dokuz Eylül University School of Medicine, İzmir, Turkey.
authors.forename: Oğuz
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Ateş
authors.affiliation: Departments of Pathology, Dokuz Eylül University School of Medicine, İzmir, Turkey.
authors.forename: Erdener
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Özer
authors.affiliation: Departments of Pediatric Surgery, Dokuz Eylül University School of Medicine, İzmir, Turkey.
authors.forename: Mustafa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Olguner
authors.affiliation: Departments of Pediatric Surgery, Dokuz Eylül University School of Medicine, İzmir, Turkey.
authors.forename: Feza Miraç
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Akgür
keywords: Bladder contractility; bladder dysfunction; interstitial cells of Cajal; myelomeningocele; neurogenic bladder