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Wiedmann NM, Fuller-Jackson JP, Osborne PB, Keast JR. An adeno-associated viral labeling approach to visualize the meso- and microanatomy of mechanosensory afferents and autonomic innervation of the rat urinary bladder. FASEB J 2024; 38:e23380. [PMID: 38102980 PMCID: PMC10789495 DOI: 10.1096/fj.202301113r] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2023] [Revised: 10/04/2023] [Accepted: 12/05/2023] [Indexed: 12/17/2023]
Abstract
The urinary bladder is supplied by a rich network of sensory and autonomic axons, commonly visualized by immunolabeling for neural markers. This approach demonstrates overall network patterning but is less suited to understanding the structure of individual motor and sensory terminals within these complex plexuses. There is a further limitation visualizing the lightly myelinated (A-delta) class of sensory axons that provides the primary mechanosensory drive for initiation of voiding. Whereas most unmyelinated sensory axons can be revealed by immunolabeling for specific neuropeptides, to date no unique neural marker has been identified to immunohistochemically label myelinated visceral afferents. We aimed to establish a non-surgical method to visualize and map myelinated afferents in the bladder in rats. We found that in rats, the adeno-associated virus (AAV), AAV-PHP.S, which shows a high tropism for the peripheral nervous system, primarily transduced myelinated dorsal root ganglion neurons, enabling us to identify the structure and regional distribution of myelinated (mechanosensory) axon endings within the muscle and lamina propria of the bladder. We further identified the projection of myelinated afferents within the pelvic nerve and lumbosacral spinal cord. A minority of noradrenergic and cholinergic neurons in pelvic ganglia were transduced, enabling visualization and regional mapping of both autonomic and sensory axon endings within the bladder. Our study identified a sparse labeling approach for investigating myelinated sensory and autonomic axon endings within the bladder and provides new insights into the nerve-bladder interface.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole M Wiedmann
- Department of Anatomy and Physiology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | | | - Peregrine B Osborne
- Department of Anatomy and Physiology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Janet R Keast
- Department of Anatomy and Physiology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
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Regional Targeting of Bladder and Urethra Afferents in the Lumbosacral Spinal Cord of Male and Female Rats: A Multiscale Analysis. eNeuro 2021; 8:ENEURO.0364-21.2021. [PMID: 34772694 PMCID: PMC8690816 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0364-21.2021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2021] [Revised: 10/11/2021] [Accepted: 11/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Sensorimotor circuits of the lumbosacral spinal cord are required for lower urinary tract (LUT) regulation as well as being engaged in pelvic pain states. To date, no molecular markers have been identified to enable specific visualization of LUT afferents, which are embedded within spinal cord segments that also subserve somatic functions. Moreover, previous studies have not fully investigated the patterning within or across spinal segments, compared afferent innervation of the bladder and urethra, or explored possible structural sex differences in these pathways. We have addressed these questions in adult Sprague Dawley rats, using intramural microinjection of the tract tracer, B subunit of cholera toxin (CTB). Afferent distribution was analyzed within individual sections and 3D reconstructions from sections across four spinal cord segments (L5-S2), and in cleared intact spinal cord viewed with light sheet microscopy. Simultaneous mapping of preganglionic neurons showed their location throughout S1 but restricted to the caudal half of L6. Afferents from both LUT regions extended from L5 to S2, even where preganglionic motor pathways were absent. In L6 and S1, most afferents were associated with the sacral preganglionic nucleus (SPN) and sacral dorsal commissural nucleus (SDCom), with very few in the superficial laminae of the dorsal horn. Spinal innervation patterns by bladder and urethra afferents were remarkably similar, likewise the patterning in male and female rats. In conclusion, microscale to macroscale mapping has identified distinct features of LUT afferent projections to the lumbosacral cord and provided a new anatomic approach for future studies on plasticity, injury responses, and modeling of these pathways.
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Mirto-Aguilar N, Morán C, Díaz A, Cruz Y. Mapping afferent and pelvic postganglionic neurons of the urethra from female rats: The L6 DRG is the major primary afferent supplier. Neurourol Urodyn 2021; 40:1880-1888. [PMID: 34420224 DOI: 10.1002/nau.24770] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2021] [Revised: 07/19/2021] [Accepted: 07/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
AIMS To map sensory and pelvic postganglionic neurons from three different regions of the female rat urethra. METHODS The neuronal tracer True Blue (TB) was injected into the pre-pelvic, pelvic, and clitoral regions of the urethra from female Wistar rats. Seven days after TB injection, TB+ cells from the dorsal root ganglia (DRGs) and the major pelvic ganglion (MPG) were examined. The number and morphometry of TB+ cells were determined. RESULTS TB+ cells were mainly distributed in lumbar 1 (L1), lumbar 2 (L2), lumbar 6 (L6), and sacral 1 (S1) DRGs, and in the MPG. The mean number of sensory neurons was 1200 ± 143. TB injection in pre-pelvic and pelvic urethra labeled neurons in L1, L2, L6, and S1 DRGs. TB injection in clitoral urethra labeled neurons in L6 and S1 DRGs. L6 DRG contained >50% of the total urethral TB+ neurons, and ~80% of the clitoral region. The mean value of the total number of MPG TB+ neurons was 1217 ± 72. DRG and MPG neurons projecting to the urethra presented a somatotopic distribution. CONCLUSIONS The results demonstrated that L6 DRG is the major supplier of afferent innervation to the urethra, and that the distal urethral region is exclusively innervated by lower lumbosacral DRGs. Considering that electrical stimulation of sensory pudendal nerve improves overactive bladder, and that most of the sensory neurons in the distal urethra are from L6 DRG, electrical stimulation of this ganglion may be an innovative and effective neuromodulation therapy for neurogenic urinary dysfunctions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nancy Mirto-Aguilar
- Doctorado en Investigaciones Cerebrales, Centro de Investigaciones Cerebrales, Universidad Veracruzana, Veracruz, Xalapa, México
- Centro Tlaxcala de Biología de la Conducta, Universidad Autónoma de Tlaxcala, Tlaxcala, México
| | - Carolina Morán
- Centro de Investigación en Fisicoquímica de Materiales, Instituto de Ciencias, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, Puebla, México
| | - Alfonso Díaz
- Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, Puebla, México
| | - Yolanda Cruz
- Centro Tlaxcala de Biología de la Conducta, Universidad Autónoma de Tlaxcala, Tlaxcala, México
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The Influence of an Adrenergic Antagonist Guanethidine on the Distribution Pattern and Chemical Coding of Caudal Mesenteric Ganglion Perikarya and Their Axons Supplying the Porcine Bladder. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22094896. [PMID: 34063103 PMCID: PMC8124201 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22094896] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2021] [Revised: 04/23/2021] [Accepted: 04/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
This study was aimed at disclosing the influence of intravesically instilled guanethidine (GUA) on the distribution, relative frequency and chemical coding of both the urinary bladder intramural sympathetic nerve fibers and their parent cell bodies in the caudal mesenteric ganglion (CaMG) in juvenile female pigs. GUA instillation led to a profound decrease in the number of perivascular nerve terminals. Furthermore, the chemical profile of the perivascular innervation within the treated bladder also distinctly changed, as most of axons became somatostatin-immunoreactive (SOM-IR), while in the control animals they were found to be neuropeptide Y (NPY)-positive. Intravesical treatment with GUA led not only to a significant decrease in the number of bladder-projecting tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) CaMG somata (94.3 ± 1.8% vs. 73.3 ± 1.4%; control vs. GUA-treated pigs), but simultaneously resulted in the rearrangement of their co-transmitters repertoire, causing a distinct decrease in the number of TH+/NPY+ (89.6 ± 0.7% vs. 27.8 ± 0.9%) cell bodies and an increase in the number of SOM-(3.6 ± 0.4% vs. 68.7 ± 1.9%), calbindin-(CB; 2.06 ± 0.2% vs. 9.1 ± 1.2%) or galanin-containing (GAL; 1.6 ± 0.3% vs. 28.2 ± 1.3%) somata. The present study provides evidence that GUA significantly modifies the sympathetic innervation of the porcine urinary bladder wall, and thus may be considered a potential tool for studying the plasticity of this subdivision of the bladder innervation.
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Tan C, Yan F, Yao LP, Xing JL, Qin WJ, Zhang K, Wu GJ, Yuan JL, Liu F. Hyperpolarization-activated cation currents in medium-size dorsal root ganglion cells are involved in overactive bladder syndrome in rats. BMC Urol 2020; 20:140. [PMID: 32878607 PMCID: PMC7466781 DOI: 10.1186/s12894-020-00698-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2019] [Accepted: 08/18/2020] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND To investigate the functions of the hyperpolarization-activated cation currents in medium-size dorsal root ganglion cells in a rat model of overactive bladder syndrome. METHODS Rats with OAB were screened using a urodynamic testing device. The whole-cell patch clamp technique was used to investigate changes in excitability and hyperpolarization-activated cation current (Ih) of medium-size cells in the L6 dorsal root ganglia (DRG) of the OAB rats. Intrathecal injection of the specific Ih inhibitor ZD7288 was used to investigate changes of voiding function and Ih of medium-size cells in the L6 DRG. RESULTS The urinary bladder weight of the OAB rats was significantly increased (p < 0.01); However, 7 days after intrathecally administration of ZD7288 (2 μM), the weight of rat bladder was significantly reduced (p < 0.01). The excitability of the medium-size cells in the L6 DRG of the OAB rats was significantly increased, and the number of action potentials elicited by a 500 pA stimulus was also markedly increased. Furthermore, ZD7288 significantly reduced the excitability of the medium-size DRG cells. The medium-size cells in the DRG of the OAB rats had a significantly increased Ih current density, which was blocked by ZD7288. CONCLUSIONS The Ih current density significantly increased in medium-size cells of the L6 DRG in the OAB model. A decrease of the Ih current was able to significantly improve the voiding function of the OAB rats, in addition to lowering their urinary bladder weight. Our finding suggested that the observed increase of Ih current in the medium-size DRG neurons might play an important role in the pathological processes of OAB.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chao Tan
- Department of Urology, Xijing Hospital, Air Force Medical University, 15 Changle West Road, Xi'an, 710032, Shaanxi, China
| | - Fei Yan
- Department of Urology, Xijing Hospital, Air Force Medical University, 15 Changle West Road, Xi'an, 710032, Shaanxi, China
| | - Li-Ping Yao
- Xijing Hospital of Digestive Diseases, Xijing Hospital, Air Force Medical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China
| | - Jun-Ling Xing
- Institute of neuroscience, Air Force Medical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China
| | - Wei-Jun Qin
- Department of Urology, Xijing Hospital, Air Force Medical University, 15 Changle West Road, Xi'an, 710032, Shaanxi, China
| | - Kun Zhang
- Department of Urology, Xijing Hospital, Air Force Medical University, 15 Changle West Road, Xi'an, 710032, Shaanxi, China
| | - Guo-Jun Wu
- Department of Urology, Xijing Hospital, Air Force Medical University, 15 Changle West Road, Xi'an, 710032, Shaanxi, China
| | - Jian-Lin Yuan
- Department of Urology, Xijing Hospital, Air Force Medical University, 15 Changle West Road, Xi'an, 710032, Shaanxi, China.
| | - Fei Liu
- Department of Urology, Xijing Hospital, Air Force Medical University, 15 Changle West Road, Xi'an, 710032, Shaanxi, China.
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Sharma H, Kyloh M, Brookes SJH, Costa M, Spencer NJ, Zagorodnyuk VP. Morphological and neurochemical characterisation of anterogradely labelled spinal sensory and autonomic nerve endings in the mouse bladder. Auton Neurosci 2020; 227:102697. [PMID: 32645688 DOI: 10.1016/j.autneu.2020.102697] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2020] [Revised: 06/26/2020] [Accepted: 06/27/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The bladder is innervated by axons of sympathetic and parasympathetic efferent nerves, and by spinal afferent neurons. The objective was to characterise anatomically and immunohistochemically the terminal endings of sensory and autonomic motor nerve endings in wholemount preparations of the mouse bladder. We used both anterograde labelling of pelvic and hypogastric nerves ex vivo and anterograde labelling from lumbosacral dorsal root ganglia (DRG) in vivo in male and female mice. These were combined with immunohistochemistry for major markers of sensory, sympathetic and parasympathetic nerves. Selective labelling of spinal afferent endings following dextran biotin-labelling from DRGs in vivo showed no co-localisation of VAChT or TH in sensory terminals in the detrusor and suburothelial plexus. Biotinamide was applied ex vivo to nerve trunks arising in the pelvic ganglion and running towards the bladder. Among the filled axons, 38% of detrusor fibres and 47% of suburothelial axons were immunoreactive for calcitonin-gene related peptide (CGRP). Vesicular acetylcholine transporter (VAChT) immunoreactivity was present in 26% of both detrusor and suburothelial axons. For tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), the proportions were 15% and 17%, respectively. Three major morphological types of CGRP-immunoreactive nerve endings were distinguished in the bladder wall: simple, branching and complex. VAChT-immunoreactive parasympathetic axons had simple and branching endings; TH immunoreactive axons all had simple morphologies. Our findings revealed that different subtypes of sensory and autonomic nerve endings can be reliably identified by combining anterograde labelling ex vivo with specific immunohistochemical markers, although morphologically some of these types of endings were indistinguishable.
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Affiliation(s)
- Harman Sharma
- Discipline of Human Physiology, Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute, College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia
| | - Melinda Kyloh
- Discipline of Human Physiology, Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute, College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia
| | - Simon J H Brookes
- Discipline of Human Physiology, Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute, College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia
| | - Marcello Costa
- Discipline of Human Physiology, Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute, College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia
| | - Nick J Spencer
- Discipline of Human Physiology, Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute, College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia.
| | - Vladimir P Zagorodnyuk
- Discipline of Human Physiology, Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute, College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia.
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Wiedmann NM, Wong AW, Keast JR, Osborne PB. Sex differences in c-Fos and EGR-1/Zif268 activity maps of rat sacral spinal cord following cystometry-induced micturition. J Comp Neurol 2020; 529:311-326. [PMID: 32415681 PMCID: PMC7818477 DOI: 10.1002/cne.24949] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2019] [Revised: 04/21/2020] [Accepted: 05/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Storage and voiding of urine from the lower urinary tract (LUT) must be timed precisely to occur in appropriate behavioral contexts. A major part of the CNS circuit that coordinates this activity is found in the lumbosacral spinal cord. Immediate early gene (IEG) activity mapping has been widely used to investigate the lumbosacral LUT-related circuit, but most reports focus on the effects of noxious stimulation in anesthetized female rats. Here we use c-Fos and EGR-1 (Zif268) activity mapping of lumbosacral spinal cord to investigate cystometry-induced micturition in awake female and male rats. In females, after cystometry c-Fos neurons in spinal cord segments L5-S2 were concentrated in the sacral parasympathetic nucleus (SPN), dorsal horn laminae II-IV, and dorsal commissural nucleus (SDCom). Comparisons of cystometry and control groups in male and female revealed sex differences. Activity mapping suggested dorsal horn laminae II-IV was activated in females but showed net inhibition in males. However, inhibition in male rats was not detected by EGR-1 activity mapping, which showed low coexpression with c-Fos. A class of catecholamine neurons in SPN and SDCom neurons were also more strongly activated by micturition in females. In both sexes, most c-Fos neurons were identified as excitatory by their absence of Pax2 expression. In conclusion, IEG mapping in awake male and female rats has extended our understanding of the functional molecular anatomy of the LUT-related circuit in spinal cord. Using this approach, we have identified sex differences that were not detected by previous studies in anesthetized rats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole M Wiedmann
- Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Agnes W Wong
- Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Janet R Keast
- Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Peregrine B Osborne
- Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
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Barbe MF, Gomez-Amaya SM, Salvadeo DM, Lamarre NS, Tiwari E, Cook S, Glair CP, Jang DH, Ragheb RM, Sheth A, Braverman AS, Ruggieri MR. Clarification of the Innervation of the Bladder, External Urethral Sphincter and Clitoris: A Neuronal Tracing Study in Female Mongrel Hound Dogs. Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2018; 301:1426-1441. [PMID: 29575690 DOI: 10.1002/ar.23808] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2017] [Revised: 10/30/2017] [Accepted: 01/16/2018] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Many studies examining the innervation of genitourinary structures focus on either afferent or efferent inputs, or on only one structure of the system. We aimed to clarify innervation of the bladder, external urethral sphincter (EUS) and clitoris. Retrograde dyes were injected into each end organ in female dogs. Spinal cord, mid-bladder, and spinal, caudal mesenteric, sympathetic trunk and pelvic plexus ganglia were examined for retrograde dye-labeled neurons. Neurons retrogradely labeled from the bladder were found primarily in L7-S2 spinal ganglia, spinal cord lateral zona intermedia at S1-S3 levels, caudal mesenteric ganglia, T11-L2 and L6-S2 sympathetic trunk ganglia, and pelvic plexus ganglia. The mid-bladder wall contained many intramural ganglia neurons labeled anterogradely from the pelvic nerve, and intramural ganglia retrogradely labeled from dye labeling sites surrounding ureteral orifices. Neurons retrogradely labeled from the clitoris were found only in L7 and S1 spinal ganglia, L7-S3 spinal cord lateral zona intermedia, and S1 sympathetic trunk ganglia, and caudal mesenteric ganglia. Neurons retrogradely labeled from the EUS were found in primarily at S1 and S2 spinal ganglia, spinal cord lamina IX at S1-S3, caudal mesenteric ganglia, and S1-S2 sympathetic trunk ganglia. Thus, direct inputs from the spinal cord to each end organ were identified, as well as multisynaptic circuits involving several ganglia, including intramural ganglia in the bladder wall. Knowledge of this complex circuitry of afferent and efferent inputs to genitourinary structures is necessary to understand and treat genitourinary dysfunction. Anat Rec, 2018. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mary F Barbe
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19140
| | - Sandra M Gomez-Amaya
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19140
| | - Danielle M Salvadeo
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19140
| | - Neil S Lamarre
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19140
| | - Ekta Tiwari
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, College of Engineering, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19140
| | - Shalonda Cook
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19140
| | - Connor P Glair
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19140
| | - Daniel H Jang
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19140
| | - Rachel M Ragheb
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19140
| | - Akaash Sheth
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19140
| | - Alan S Braverman
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19140
| | - Michael R Ruggieri
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19140.,Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, College of Engineering, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19140.,Shriners Hospitals for Children of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19140
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Ekman M, Zhu B, Swärd K, Uvelius B. Neurite outgrowth in cultured mouse pelvic ganglia - Effects of neurotrophins and bladder tissue. Auton Neurosci 2017; 205:41-49. [PMID: 28347639 DOI: 10.1016/j.autneu.2017.03.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2016] [Revised: 03/14/2017] [Accepted: 03/17/2017] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
Neurotrophic factors regulate survival and growth of neurons. The urinary bladder is innervated via both sympathetic and parasympathetic neurons located in the major pelvic ganglion. The aim of the present study was to characterize the effects of the neurotrophins nerve growth factor (NGF), brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and neurotrophin 3 (NT-3) on the sprouting rate of sympathetic and parasympathetic neurites from the female mouse ganglion. The pelvic ganglion was dissected out and attached to a petri dish and cultured in vitro. All three factors (BDNF, NT-3 and NGF) stimulated neurite outgrowth of both sympathetic and parasympathetic neurites although BDNF and NT-3 had a higher stimulatory effect on parasympathetic ganglion cells. The neurotrophin receptors TrkA, TrkB and TrkC were all expressed in neurons of the ganglia. Co-culture of ganglia with urinary bladder tissue, but not diaphragm tissue, increased the sprouting rate of neurites. Active forms of BDNF and NT-3 were detected in urinary bladder tissue using western blotting whereas tissue from the diaphragm expressed NGF. Neurite outgrowth from the pelvic ganglion was inhibited by a TrkB receptor antagonist. We therefore suggest that the urinary bladder releases trophic factors, including BDNF and NT-3, which regulate neurite outgrowth via activation of neuronal Trk-receptors. These findings could influence future strategies for developing pharmaceuticals to improve re-innervation due to bladder pathologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mari Ekman
- Department of Experimental Medical Science, Lund University, Lund, Sweden; Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.
| | - Baoyi Zhu
- Department of Experimental Medical Science, Lund University, Lund, Sweden; Department of Urology, The Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guang Dong, China
| | - Karl Swärd
- Department of Experimental Medical Science, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Bengt Uvelius
- Department of Urology, Clinical Sciences, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
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Deuchars SA, Lall VK. Sympathetic preganglionic neurons: properties and inputs. Compr Physiol 2016; 5:829-69. [PMID: 25880515 DOI: 10.1002/cphy.c140020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
The sympathetic nervous system comprises one half of the autonomic nervous system and participates in maintaining homeostasis and enabling organisms to respond in an appropriate manner to perturbations in their environment, either internal or external. The sympathetic preganglionic neurons (SPNs) lie within the spinal cord and their axons traverse the ventral horn to exit in ventral roots where they form synapses onto postganglionic neurons. Thus, these neurons are the last point at which the central nervous system can exert an effect to enable changes in sympathetic outflow. This review considers the degree of complexity of sympathetic control occurring at the level of the spinal cord. The morphology and targets of SPNs illustrate the diversity within this group, as do their diverse intrinsic properties which reveal some functional significance of these properties. SPNs show high degrees of coupled activity, mediated through gap junctions, that enables rapid and coordinated responses; these gap junctions contribute to the rhythmic activity so critical to sympathetic outflow. The main inputs onto SPNs are considered; these comprise afferent, descending, and interneuronal influences that themselves enable functionally appropriate changes in SPN activity. The complexity of inputs is further demonstrated by the plethora of receptors that mediate the different responses in SPNs; their origins and effects are plentiful and diverse. Together these different inputs and the intrinsic and coupled activity of SPNs result in the rhythmic nature of sympathetic outflow from the spinal cord, which has a variety of frequencies that can be altered in different conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susan A Deuchars
- School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom
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The influence of intravesical administration of resiniferatoxin (RTX) on the chemical coding of sympathetic chain ganglia (SChG) neurons supplying the porcine urinary bladder. Histochem Cell Biol 2015; 144:479-89. [PMID: 26194530 DOI: 10.1007/s00418-015-1355-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/08/2015] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Resiniferatoxin (RTX) is used as an experimental drug in therapy of neurogenic urinary bladder disorders. The present study investigated the chemical coding of sympathetic chain ganglia (SChG) neurons supplying porcine urinary bladder after intravesical RTX instillation. The SChG neurons were visualized with retrograde tracing method and their chemical profile was disclosed with double-labeling immunohistochemistry using antibodies against dopamine β-hydroxylase (DβH; marker of noradrenergic neurons), neuropeptide Y (NPY), vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP), somatostatin (SOM), galanin, Leu(5)-enkephalin and neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS). It was found that in both the control (n = 5) and RTX-treated pigs (n = 5), the vast majority (90.4 ± 2.8 and 89.7 ± 2.3%, respectively) of FB-positive (FB+) nerve cells were DβH+. RTX instillation caused a decrease in the number of FB+/DβH+ neurons immunopositive to NPY (71.1 ± 12.1 vs 43.2 ± 6.7%), VIP (21.3 ± 10.7 vs 5.3 ± 4.3%) or SOM (16.5 ± 4.6 vs 2.3 ± 2.6%) and a distinct increase in the number of FB+/DβH+ neurons immunoreactive to nNOS (0.8 ± 1 vs 5.3 ± 1.9 %). The present study for the first time has provided some information that therapeutic effects of RTX on the mammalian urinary bladder can be partly mediated by SChG neurons.
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12
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Danziger ZC, Grill WM. Sensory and circuit mechanisms mediating lower urinary tract reflexes. Auton Neurosci 2015; 200:21-28. [PMID: 26119358 DOI: 10.1016/j.autneu.2015.06.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2014] [Revised: 03/27/2015] [Accepted: 06/02/2015] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Neural control of continence and micturition is distributed over a network of interconnected reflexes. These reflexes integrate sensory information from the bladder and urethra and are modulated by descending influences to produce different physiological outcomes based on the information arriving from peripheral afferents. Therefore, the mode of activation of primary afferents is essential in understanding the action of spinal reflex pathways in the lower urinary tract. We present an overview of sensory mechanisms in the bladder and urethra focusing on their spinal integration, identify the cardinal spinal reflexes responsible for continence and micturition, and describe how their functional role is controlled via peripheral afferent activity.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Warren M Grill
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA; Department of Neurobiology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA; Department of Surgery, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA; Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
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Lepiarczyk E, Bossowska A, Majewski M. Changes in chemical coding of sympathetic chain ganglia (SChG) neurons supplying porcine urinary bladder after botulinum toxin (BTX) treatment. Cell Tissue Res 2015; 360:263-72. [PMID: 25620409 PMCID: PMC4544485 DOI: 10.1007/s00441-014-2086-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2014] [Accepted: 12/04/2014] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Botulinum toxin (BTX) is a neurotoxin used in medicine as an effective drug in experimental therapy of neurogenic urinary bladder disorders. We have investigated the influence of BTX on the chemical coding of sympathetic chain ganglia (SChG) neurons supplying the porcine urinary bladder. The toxin was injected into the wall of the bladder. SChG neurons were visualized by a retrograde tracing method with fluorescent tracer fast blue (FB) and their chemical coding was investigated by double-labelling immunohistochemistry with antibodies against dopamine β-hydroxylase (DβH; a marker of noradrenergic neurons), neuropeptide Y (NPY), vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP), somatostatin (SOM), galanin (GAL), Leu(5)-enkephalin (L-ENK) and neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS). In both the control (n = 5) and BTX-treated pigs (n = 5), the vast majority (91 ± 2.3 % and 89.8 ± 2.5 %, respectively) of FB-positive (FB+) nerve cells were DβH+. BTX injections caused a decrease in the number of FB+/DβH+ neurons that were immunopositive to NPY (39.5 ± 4.5 % vs 74.5 ± 11.9 %), VIP (8.9 ± 5.3 % vs 22.3 ± 8.8 %), SOM (5.8 ± 2.3 % vs 17.4 ± 3.7 %) or GAL (0.9 ± 1.2 % vs 5.4 ± 4.4 %) and a distinct increase in the number of FB+/DβH+ neurons that were immunoreactive to L-ENK (3.7 ± 2.9 % vs 1.1 % ± 0.8 %) or nNOS (7.7 ± 3.5 % vs 0.8 ± 0.6 %). Our study provides novel evidence that the therapeutic effects of BTX on the mammalian urinary bladder are partly mediated by SChG neurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- E Lepiarczyk
- Department of Human Physiology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Warszawska 30, 10-082, Olsztyn, Poland,
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Pidsudko Z. Immunohistochemical characteristics and distribution of neurons in the paravertebral, prevertebral and pelvic ganglia supplying the urinary bladder in the male pig. J Mol Neurosci 2014; 52:56-70. [PMID: 24122239 DOI: 10.1007/s12031-013-0139-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2013] [Accepted: 10/03/2013] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
The distribution and chemical coding of neurons supplying urinary bladder in the male pig were studied in the sympathetic chain ganglia, inferior mesenteric ganglia and anterior pelvic ganglia. The combined retrograde tracing and immunohistochemistry for tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), dopamine beta-hydroxylase (DBH), neuropeptide Y (NPY), somatostatin(SOM), galanin (GAL), vasoactive intestinal polypeptide(VIP), nitric oxide synthase (NOS), calcitonin gene related peptide (CGRP), substance P (SP), choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) and vesicular acetylcholine transporter(VAChT) were applied in the experiment. Bladder projecting neurons were found in all the ganglia studied. The majority of sympathetic ganglia neurons (inferior mesenteric ganglia and sympathetic chain ganglia) expressed immunoreactivity(IR) to DBH. In sympathetic chain ganglia these neurons simultaneously expressed NPY, GAL or VAChT,while in inferior mesenteric ganglia they contained NPY, SOM and/or GAL. A small number of these bladder projecting neurons was VAChT-IR and some contained NPY. In the pelvic ganglia bladder-projecting neurons formed two populations: DBH- and VAChT-IR. Some of DBH-IR neurons contained IR to NPY, SOM or GAL, while VAChTIR neurons were NPY-, SOM- or NOS-IR. The results indicate that sympathetic ganglia contain mainly adrenergic neurons,while pelvic ganglia contain both adrenergic and cholinergic neurons. All these neurons contain typical combinations of neuropeptides.
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Effects of sensory neuron-specific receptor agonist on bladder function in a rat model of cystitis induced by cyclophosphamide. Int Urol Nephrol 2014; 46:1953-9. [PMID: 24824147 DOI: 10.1007/s11255-014-0734-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2014] [Accepted: 05/02/2014] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE To investigate the effects of activation of sensory neuron-specific receptors (SNSRs) on cyclophosphamide (CYP) bladder overactivity in rats. METHODS Female Sprague-Dawley rats (235-258 g) were used. Rats were injected with either CYP (200 mg/kg, intraperitoneally) or saline (control). Continuous cystometrograms (0.04 ml/min) were recorded 48 h after CYP or saline injection under urethane anesthesia. After stable micturition cycles were established, a selective rat SNSR1 agonist, bovine adrenal medulla 8-22 (BAM8-22), was administered intravenously or intrathecally. RESULTS Cyclophosphamide treatment-induced higher baseline pressure and shorter intercontraction intervals compared with the control group. Intravenous administration of BAM8-22 at 10, 30 and 100 μg/kg significantly increased intercontraction intervals in the CYP-treated group. Intrathecal administration of BAM8-22 at 0.03, 0.1 and 0.3 μg also significantly increased intercontraction intervals in the CYP-treated group. Intravenous or intrathecal administration of BAM8-22 did not change baseline pressure or maximum voiding pressure in the CYP-treated group. CONCLUSIONS These findings indicate that activation of SNSRs can suppress CYP-induced bladder overactivity, probably due to suppression of bladder afferent activity.
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Russo D, Clavenzani P, Sorteni C, Bo Minelli L, Botti M, Gazza F, Panu R, Ragionieri L, Chiocchetti R. Neurochemical features of boar lumbosacral dorsal root ganglion neurons and characterization of sensory neurons innervating the urinary bladder trigone. J Comp Neurol 2012; 521:342-66. [DOI: 10.1002/cne.23177] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2011] [Revised: 06/14/2012] [Accepted: 06/20/2012] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
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Honda M, Yoshimura N, Inoue S, Hinata N, Chancellor MB, Takenaka A. Inhibitory effect of somatostatin receptor subtype-4 agonist NNC 26-9100 on micturition reflex in rats. Urology 2012; 80:1391.e9-13. [PMID: 22951005 DOI: 10.1016/j.urology.2012.07.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2012] [Revised: 06/29/2012] [Accepted: 07/05/2012] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To investigate the effects of activation of somatostatin subtype 4 (SST4) on the micturition reflex in rats. METHODS Continuous cystometrograms (0.04 mL/min infusion rate) were performed in female Sprague-Dawley rats (242-265 g) under urethane anesthesia. After stable micturition cycles were established, a selective SST4 receptor agonist, NNC 26-9100, was administered intravenously in normal rats or rats pretreated with capsaicin 4 days before the experiments. The micturition parameters were recorded and compared before and after drug administration. RESULTS Intravenous administration of NNC 26-9100 (10-300 μg/kg) significantly increased the intercontraction interval in a dose-dependent fashion. Intravenous administration of NNC 26-9100 (10-300 μg/kg) also significantly increased the pressure threshold in a dose-dependent fashion. No significant changes were seen in the baseline pressure, maximum voiding pressure, or postvoid residual urine volume. However, NNC 26-9100-induced increases in the intercontraction intervals and pressure threshold were not seen in rats with C-fiber desensitization induced by capsaicin pretreatment. CONCLUSION These results indicate that in urethane-anesthetized rats, activation of the SST4 receptor can inhibit the micturition reflex by suppression of capsaicin-sensitive C-fiber afferent pathways. Thus, the SST4 receptor could be a potential target for the treatment of C-fiber afferent-mediated bladder dysfunction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masashi Honda
- Department of Urology, Tottori University Faculty of Medicine, Yonago, Japan
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Joseph EK, Levine JD. Sexual dimorphism in endothelin-1 induced mechanical hyperalgesia in the rat. Exp Neurol 2011; 233:505-12. [PMID: 22155617 DOI: 10.1016/j.expneurol.2011.11.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2011] [Revised: 10/26/2011] [Accepted: 11/22/2011] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
While the onset of mechanical hyperalgesia induced by endothelin-1 was delayed in female rats, compared to males, the duration was much longer. Given that the repeated test stimulus used to assess nociceptive threshold enhances hyperalgesia, a phenomenon we have referred to as stimulus-induced enhancement of hyperalgesia, we also evaluated for sexual dimorphism in the impact of repeated application of the mechanical test stimulus on endothelin-1 hyperalgesia. In male and female rats, endothelin-1 induced hyperalgesia is already maximal at 30 min. At this time stimulus-induced enhancement of hyperalgesia, which is observed only in male rats, persisted for 3-4h. In contrast, in females, it develops only after a very long (15 day) delay, and is still present, without attenuation, at 45 days. Ovariectomy eliminated these differences between male and female rats. These findings suggest marked, ovarian-dependent sexual dimorphism in endothelin-1 induced mechanical hyperalgesia and its enhancement by repeated mechanical stimulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth K Joseph
- Department of Medicine and Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94143-0440, USA
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Abstract
The lower urinary tract (LUT), which consists of the urinary bladder and its outlet, the urethra, is responsible for the storage and periodic elimination of bodily waste in the form of urine. The LUT is controlled by a complex set of peripheral autonomic and somatic nerves, which in turn are controlled through neural pathways in the spinal cord and brain. This influence of the central nervous system allows for the conscious control of the bladder, allowing the individual to choose an appropriate place to urinate. Defects in the CNS pathways that control the LUT can lead to incontinence, an embarrassing condition that affects over 200 million people worldwide. As a first step in understanding the neural control of the bladder, we will discuss the neuroanatomy of the LUT, focusing first on the peripheral neural pathways, including the sensory pathways that transmit information on bladder filling and the motoneurons that control LUT muscle contractility. We will also discuss the organization of the central pathways in the spinal cord and brainstem that are responsible for coordinating bladder activity, promoting continuous storage of urine except for a few short minutes per day when micturition takes place. To conclude, we will discuss current studies underway that aim to elucidate the higher areas of the brain that control the voluntary nature of micturition in higher organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan M Beckel
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
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The P2Y2 receptor sensitizes mouse bladder sensory neurons and facilitates purinergic currents. J Neurosci 2010; 30:2365-72. [PMID: 20147562 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.5462-09.2010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Sensitization of bladder afferents is an underlying contributor to the development and maintenance of painful bladder syndrome/interstitial cystitis. Extracellular purines and pyrimidines (e.g., ATP and UTP), released during bladder distension or from damaged cells after tissue insult, are thought to play an important role in bladder physiological and pathological states by actions at ionotropic P2X and metabotropic P2Y receptors. In the present study, we examined the ability of P2Y receptors to sensitize and modulate P2X-mediated responses in mouse bladder sensory neurons. UTP (a P2Y(2) and P2Y(4) agonist) increased excitability of bladder neurons by depolarizing resting membrane potential, increasing action potential firing, and facilitating responses to suprathreshold current injection as well as to P2X agonist application. These effects of UTP on bladder neuron excitability were blocked by the P2Y(2) receptor antagonist suramin. UTP also facilitated bladder neuron homomeric P2X(2) sustained currents and homomeric P2X(3) fast currents. The facilitatory effect of UTP on P2X(2) sustained currents was mediated by a G-protein-coupled P2Y(2) receptor/PKC pathway, whereas the effect of UTP on P2X(3) fast currents was G-protein independent. We also examined P2X and P2Y receptor expression in bladder neurons. P2Y(2) and P2Y(4) transcripts were detected in approximately 50 and approximately 20% of bladder neurons, respectively. Approximately 50% of P2X(2)- and P2X(3)-positive bladder neurons expressed P2Y(2) transcripts, whereas < or =25% of the same bladder neurons expressed P2Y(4) transcripts. These results support involvement of P2Y(2) receptors in bladder sensation, suggesting an important contribution to bladder neuron excitability and hypersensitivity.
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Differential purinergic signaling in bladder sensory neurons of naïve and bladder-inflamed mice. Pain 2009; 148:462-472. [PMID: 20045252 DOI: 10.1016/j.pain.2009.12.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2009] [Revised: 12/03/2009] [Accepted: 12/08/2009] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
This study explored purinergic signaling in lumbosacral (LS) and thoracolumbar (TL) dorsal root ganglion neurons innervating the urinary bladder. In naïve mice, a greater proportion of LS (93%) than that of TL (77%) bladder neurons responded to purinergic agonists. Three types of purinergic currents were identified: 'sustained' (homomeric P2X2) currents were detected only in LS neurons, rapidly activating, 'slow' deactivating (heteromeric P2X2/3) currents predominated in both LS and TL neurons, and 'fast' activating/de-activating (homomeric P2X3) currents were detected only in TL neurons. Relative to TL bladder neurons, slow current density was greater in LS neurons, which also had a more negative action potential threshold and generated more action potentials in response to purinergic agonists (suggesting greater excitability of LS neurons). Single cell nested PCR documented P2X2 and P2X3 subunit expression in both TL and LS bladder neurons. Relative to saline treatment, bladder wall thickness and weight increased after cyclophosphamide (CYP) treatment. Both LS and TL neuron excitability increased (rheobase was decreased and responses to purinergic agonists increased) after CYP treatment. The proportion of sustained currents in LS bladder neurons increased fourfold after CYP bladder inflammation. Although proportions of slow and fast purinergic currents in TL neurons were unchanged by CYP treatment, the fast current density was greater than in saline-treated mice. These results in mouse, as previously described in rat, reveal differential purinergic signaling in TL and LS bladder neurons. The predominant currents and significant changes after inflammation, however, occur in different ganglia/sensory pathways in mouse and rat.
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Abstract
The mechanism of visceral pain is still less understood compared with that of somatic pain. This is primarily due to the diverse nature of visceral pain compounded by multiple factors such as sexual dimorphism, psychological stress, genetic trait, and the nature of predisposed disease. Due to multiple contributing factors there is an enormous challenge to develop animal models that ideally mimic the exact disease condition. In spite of that, it is well recognized that visceral hypersensitivity can occur due to (1) sensitization of primary sensory afferents innervating the viscera, (2) hyperexcitability of spinal ascending neurons (central sensitization) receiving synaptic input from the viscera, and (3) dysregulation of descending pathways that modulate spinal nociceptive transmission. Depending on the type of stimulus condition, different neural pathways are involved in chronic pain. In early-life psychological stress such as maternal separation, chronic pain occurs later in life due to dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and significant increase in corticotrophin releasing factor (CRF) secretion. In contrast, in early-life inflammatory conditions such as colitis and cystitis, there is dysregulation of the descending opioidergic system that results excessive pain perception (i.e., visceral hyperalgesia). Functional bowel disorders and chronic pelvic pain represent unexplained pain that is not associated with identifiable organic diseases. Often pain overlaps between two organs and approximately 35% of patients with chronic pelvic pain showed significant improvement when treated for functional bowel disorders. Animal studies have documented that two main components such as (1) dichotomy of primary afferent fibers innervating two pelvic organs and (2) common convergence of two afferent fibers onto a spinal dorsal horn are contributing factors for organ-to-organ pain overlap. With reports emerging about the varieties of peptide molecules involved in the pathological conditions of visceral pain, it is expected that better therapy will be achieved relatively soon to manage chronic visceral pain.
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Masuda N, Masuda H, Matsuyoshi H, Chancellor MB, de Groat WC, Yoshimura N. Effects of intrathecal injection of a hyperpolarization-activated channel (Ih) inhibitor ZD7288 on bladder function in urethane-anesthetized rats. Neurourol Urodyn 2008; 27:838-44. [DOI: 10.1002/nau.20563] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
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Kaddumi EG, Hubscher CH. Urinary bladder irritation alters efficacy of vagal stimulation on rostral medullary neurons in chronic T8 spinalized rats. J Neurotrauma 2007; 24:1219-28. [PMID: 17610360 DOI: 10.1089/neu.2007.0276] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The presence of pelvic visceral inputs to neurons in the rostral medulla that are responsive to electrical stimulation of the abdominal branches of the vagus nerve (VAG-abd) was investigated in a complete chronic T8 spinal transection rat model. Using extracellular electrophysiological recordings from single medullary reticular formation (MRF) neurons, 371 neurons in 15 rats responsive to pinching the ear (search stimulus) were tested for somato-visceral and viscero-visceral convergent responses to stimulation of the following nerves/territories: VAG-abd, dorsal nerve of the penis, pelvic nerve, distention of urinary bladder and colon, penile stimulation, urethral infusion, and touch/pinch of the entire body surface. In addition to these mechanical and electrical stimuli, a chemical stimulus applied to the bladder was assessed as well. Of the total neurons examined, 205 were tested before and 166 tested beginning 20 min after application of a chemical irritant (2% acetic acid) to the urinary bladder (same rats used pre/post irritation). As with intact controls, many ear-responsive MRF neurons responded to the electrical stimulation of VAG-abd. Although MRF neuron responses failed to be evoked with direct (mechanical and electrical nerve) pelvic visceral stimuli, acute chemical irritation of the urinary bladder produced a significant increase in the number of MRF neurons responsive to stimulation of VAG-abd. The results of this study indicate a central effect that potentially relates to some of the generalized below level pelvic visceral sensations that have been documented in patients with complete spinal cord injury.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ezidin G Kaddumi
- Department of Anatomical Sciences and Neurobiology, University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky 40292, USA
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Xu L, Gebhart GF. Characterization of mouse lumbar splanchnic and pelvic nerve urinary bladder mechanosensory afferents. J Neurophysiol 2007; 99:244-53. [PMID: 18003875 DOI: 10.1152/jn.01049.2007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 95] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Sensory information from the urinary bladder is conveyed via lumbar splanchnic (LSN) and sacral pelvic (PN) nerves to the spinal cord. In the present report we compared the mechanosensitive properties of single afferent fibers in these two pathways using an in vitro mouse bladder preparation. Mechanosensitive primary afferents were recorded from the LSN or PN and distinguished based on their response to receptive field stimulation with different mechanical stimuli: probing (160 mg to 2 g), stretch (1-25 g), and stroking of the urothelium (10-1,000 mg). Four different classes of afferent were recorded from the LSN and PN: serosal, muscular, muscular/urothelial, and urothelial. The LSN contained principally serosal and muscular afferents (97% of the total sample), whereas all four afferent classes of afferent were present in the PN (63% of which were muscular afferents). In addition, the respective proportions and receptive field distributions differed between the two pathways. Both low- and high-threshold stretch-sensitive muscular afferents were present in both pathways, and muscular afferents in the PN were shown to sensitize after exposure to an inflammatory soup cocktail. The LSN and PN pathways contain different populations of mechanosensitive afferents capable of detecting a range of mechanical stimuli and individually tuned to detect the type, magnitude, and duration of the stimulus. This knowledge broadens our understanding of the potential roles these two pathways play in conveying mechanical information from the bladder to the spinal cord.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linjing Xu
- Department of Pharmacology, Carver College of Medicine, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, USA
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Fouda AMM, Daba MHY, Dahab GM. Inhibitory effects of aqueous extract of Hibiscus sabdariffa on contractility of the rat bladder and uterus. Can J Physiol Pharmacol 2007; 85:1020-31. [DOI: 10.1139/y07-093] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
We examined an aqueous extract of Hibiscus sabdariffa calyces extracts (HSE) by close-arterial injection on micturition thresholds (MTs) and on uterine contractions (rate and amplitude). Five doses of HSE were examined (1, 5, 10, 50, and 100 mg/kg) in 3 groups of rats: controls, after bladder inflammation, and after bilateral hypogastric neurectomy. In some rats, uterine contractions were induced by injection of oxytocin (OT) and the effect of HSE was compared with that of nifedipine. HSE increased MTs in a dose-dependent manner in all groups. Neither atropine (0.1 mg/kg) nor propranolol (0.4 mg/kg) had significant effects on cystometric parameters. They also did not affect the responses obtained by HSE on cystometric parameters. As with bladder response, HSE inhibited both the rate and amplitude of uterine contractions in all groups in a dose-dependent manner. The uterine response to HSE was not affected by administration of either atropine or propranolol. A slight, but significant, reduction of contraction amplitude by HSE in the OT precontracted uteri was only noted at a dose of 500 mg/kg. Nifedipine was more potent than HSE in reducing uterine contraction amplitude. The present work documents inhibition by HSE of the rat bladder and uterine contractility in a dose-dependent manner via a mechanism unrelated to local or remote autonomic receptors or calcium channels. However, further investigation is needed to establish the exact mechanism of action.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abdel-Motaal M. Fouda
- Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Mansoura Faculty of Medicine, Mansoura University, P.O. Box 35516, Mansoura, DK 35516, Egypt
| | - Mohamad-Hesham Y. Daba
- Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Mansoura Faculty of Medicine, Mansoura University, P.O. Box 35516, Mansoura, DK 35516, Egypt
| | - Gamal M. Dahab
- Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Mansoura Faculty of Medicine, Mansoura University, P.O. Box 35516, Mansoura, DK 35516, Egypt
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Matsuyoshi H, Masuda N, Chancellor MB, Erickson VL, Hirao Y, de Groat WC, Wanaka A, Yoshimura N. Expression of hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide-gated cation channels in rat dorsal root ganglion neurons innervating urinary bladder. Brain Res 2006; 1119:115-23. [PMID: 16979600 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2006.08.052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2006] [Revised: 07/25/2006] [Accepted: 08/14/2006] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Afferent pathways innervating the urinary bladder consist of myelinated Adelta- and unmyelinated C-fibers, the neuronal cell bodies of which correspond to medium and small-sized cell populations of dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons, respectively. Since hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide-gated cation (HCN) channel currents have been identified in various peripheral sensory neurons, we examined the expression of isoforms of HCN channels in the L6-S1 spinal cord and bladder afferent neurons from L6-S1 DRG in rats. Among HCN-1, HCN-2 and HCN-4 channel subtypes, positive staining with HCN-2 antibodies was found in the superficial dorsal horn of the spinal cord and small- and medium-sized unidentified DRG neurons. In dye-labeled bladder afferent neurons, HCN-2-positive cells were found in approximately 60% of neurons, and HCN-2 was expressed in both small- and medium-sized neurons with a higher ratio (expression ratio: 61% and 50% of neurons, respectively) compared with unidentified DRG neurons, in which the HCN expression ratio was 47% and 21% of small- and medium-sized cells, respectively. These results suggest that HCN-2 is the predominant subtype of HCN channels, which can control neuronal excitability, in small-sized C-fiber and medium-sized Adelta fiber DRG neurons including bladder afferent neurons, and might modulate activity of bladder afferent pathways controlling the micturition reflex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hiroko Matsuyoshi
- Department of Urology, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
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Masuda N, Hayashi Y, Matsuyoshi H, Chancellor MB, de Groat WC, Yoshimura N. Characterization of hyperpolarization-activated current (Ih) in dorsal root ganglion neurons innervating rat urinary bladder. Brain Res 2006; 1096:40-52. [PMID: 16765328 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2006.04.085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2005] [Revised: 04/04/2006] [Accepted: 04/10/2006] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
Afferent pathways innervating the urinary bladder consist of myelinated Adelta-fibers and unmyelinated C-fibers. Normal voiding is dependent on mechanoceptive Adelta-fiber bladder afferents that respond to bladder distention. However, the mechanisms for controlling the excitability of Adelta-fiber bladder afferents are not fully understood. We therefore used whole cell patch-clamp techniques to investigate the properties of hyperpolarization-activated, cyclic nucleotide-gated (HCN) currents (I(h)) in dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons innervating the urinary bladder of rats. The neurons were identified by axonal tracing with a fluorescent dye, Fast Blue, injected into the bladder wall. Hyperpolarizing voltage step pulses from -40 to -130 mV produced voltage- and time-dependent inward I(h) currents in bladder afferent neurons. The amplitude and current density of I(h) at a holding potential of -130 mV was significantly larger in medium-sized bladder afferent neurons (diameter: 37.8 +/- 0.3 microm), a small portion (19%) of which were sensitive to capsaicin (1 microM), than in uniformly capsaicin-sensitive small-sized (27.6 +/- 0.5 microm) bladder neurons. In medium-sized bladder neurons, a selective HCN channel inhibitor, ZD7288, dose-dependently inhibited I(h) currents. ZD7288 (10 microM) also increased the time constant of the slow depolarization phase of spike after-hyperpolarization from 91.8 to 233.0 ms. These results indicate that I(h) currents are predominantly expressed in medium-sized bladder afferent neurons innervating the bladder and that inhibition of I(h) currents delayed recovery from the spike after-hyperpolarization. Thus, it is assumed that I(h) currents could control excitability of mechanoceptive Adelta-fiber bladder afferent neurons, which are usually capsaicin-insensitive and larger in size than capsaicin-sensitive C-fiber bladder afferent neurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noriyuki Masuda
- Department of Urology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, PA 15213, USA
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Nout YS, Leedy GM, Beattie MS, Bresnahan JC. Alterations in eliminative and sexual reflexes after spinal cord injury: defecatory function and development of spasticity in pelvic floor musculature. PROGRESS IN BRAIN RESEARCH 2006; 152:359-72. [PMID: 16198713 DOI: 10.1016/s0079-6123(05)52024-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Spinal cord injury often results in loss of normal eliminative and sexual functions. This chapter is focused on defecatory function, although aspects of micturition and erectile function will be covered as well due to the overlap in anatomical organization and response to injury. These systems have both autonomic and somatic components, and are organized in the thoracolumbar (sympathetic), lumbosacral (somatic), and sacral (parasympathetic) spinal cord. Loss of supraspinal descending control and plasticity-mediated alterations at the level of the spinal cord, result in loss of voluntary control and in abnormal functioning of these systems including the development of dyssynergies and spasticity. There are several useful models of spinal cord injury in rodents that exhibit many of the autonomic dysfunctions observed after spinal cord injury in humans. Numerous studies involving these animal models have demonstrated development of abnormalities in bladder, external anal sphincter, and erectile function, such as detrusor-sphincter-dyssynergia and external anal sphincter hyperreflexia. Here we review many of these studies and show some of the anatomical alterations that develop within the spinal cord during the development of these hyperreflexias. Furthermore, we show that spasticity develops in other pelvic floor musculature as well, such as the bulbospongiosus muscle, which results in increased duration and magnitude of pressures developed during erectile events and increased duration of micturition. Advances and continued improvement in the use of current animal models of spinal cord injury should encourage and increase the laboratory work devoted to this relatively neglected area of experimental spinal cord injury.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yvette S Nout
- Department of Neuroscience, Laboratory of CNS Repair and Spinal Trauma and Repair Laboratories, The Ohio State University College of Medicine and Public Health, Columbus, OH, USA
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30
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Keast JR. Plasticity of pelvic autonomic ganglia and urogenital innervation. INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF CYTOLOGY 2006; 248:141-208. [PMID: 16487791 DOI: 10.1016/s0074-7696(06)48003-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 83] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Pelvic ganglia contain a mixture of sympathetic and parasympathetic neurons and provide most of the motor innervation of the urogenital organs. They show a remarkable sensitivity to androgens and estrogens, which impacts on their development into sexually dimorphic structures and provide an array of mechanisms by which plasticity of these neurons can occur during puberty and adulthood. The structure of pelvic ganglia varies widely among species, ranging from rodents, which have a pair of large ganglia, to humans, in whom pelvic ganglion neurons are distributed in a large, complex plexus. This plexus is frequently injured during pelvic surgical procedures, yet strategies for its repair have yet to be developed. Advances in this area will come from a better understanding of the effects of injury on the cellular signaling process in pelvic neurons and also the role of neurotrophic factors during development, maintenance, and repair of these axons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janet R Keast
- Pain Management Research Institute, University of Sydney at Royal North Shore Hospital, St Leonards, New South Wales, Australia
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31
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Glebova NO, Ginty DD. Heterogeneous requirement of NGF for sympathetic target innervation in vivo. J Neurosci 2004; 24:743-51. [PMID: 14736860 PMCID: PMC6729267 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.4523-03.2004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 182] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
The neurotrophin nerve growth factor (NGF) plays a crucial role in the development of the sympathetic nervous system. In addition to being required for sympathetic neuron survival in vivo and in vitro, NGF has been shown to mediate axon growth in vitro. The role of NGF in sympathetic axon growth in vivo, however, is not clear because of its requirement for survival. This requirement can be circumvented by a concomitant deletion of Bax, a pro-apoptotic Bcl-2 family member, thus allowing an examination of the role of neurotrophins in axon growth independently of their function in cell survival. Here, we analyzed peripheral sympathetic target organ innervation in mice deficient for both NGF and Bax. In neonatal NGF-/-; Bax-/- mice, sympathetic target innervation was absent in certain organs (such as salivary glands), greatly reduced in others (such as heart), somewhat diminished in a few (such as stomach and kidneys), but not significantly different from control in some (such as trachea). At embryonic day 16.5, peripheral target sympathetic innervation was also reduced in NGF-/-; Bax-/- mice, with analogous variability for different organs. Interestingly, in some organs such as the spleen the precise location at which sympathetic axons become NGF-dependent for growth was evident. We thus show that NGF is required for complete peripheral innervation of both paravertebral and prevertebral sympathetic ganglia targets in vivo independently of its requirement for cell survival. Remarkably, target organs vary widely in their individual NGF requirements for sympathetic innervation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalia O Glebova
- Department of Neuroscience, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, USA
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32
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Vera PL, Meyer-Siegler KL. Anatomical location of macrophage migration inhibitory factor in urogenital tissues, peripheral ganglia and lumbosacral spinal cord of the rat. BMC Neurosci 2003; 4:17. [PMID: 12908877 PMCID: PMC184455 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2202-4-17] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2003] [Accepted: 08/08/2003] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Previous work suggested that macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) may be involved in bladder inflammation. Therefore, the location of MIF was determined immunohistochemically in the bladder, prostate, major pelvic ganglia, sympathetic chain, the L6-S1 dorsal root ganglia (DRG) and the lumbosacral spinal cord of the rat. RESULTS In the pelvic organs, MIF immunostaining was prominent in the epithelia. MIF was widely present in neurons in the MPG and the sympathetic chain. Some of those neurons also co-localized tyrosine hydroxylase (TH). In the DRGs, some of the neurons that stained for MIF also stained for Substance P. In the lumbosacral spinal cord, MIF immunostaining was observed in the white mater, the dorsal horn, the intermediolateral region and in the area around the central canal. Many cells were intensely stained for MIF and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) suggesting they were glial cells. However, some cells in the lumbosacral dorsal horn were MIF positive, GFAP negative cells suggestive of neurons. CONCLUSIONS Therefore, MIF, a pro-inflammatory cytokine, is localized to pelvic organs and also in neurons of the peripheral and central nervous tissues that innervate those organs. Changes in MIF's expression at the end organ and at peripheral and central nervous system sites suggest that MIF is involved in pelvic viscera inflammation and may act at several levels to promote inflammatory changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pedro L Vera
- Research & Development (151), Bay Pines VA Medical Center, Bay Pines, FL 33744, USA
- Department of Surgery, Urology Division, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL. 33612, USA
| | - Katherine L Meyer-Siegler
- Research & Development (151), Bay Pines VA Medical Center, Bay Pines, FL 33744, USA
- Department of Surgery, Urology Division, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL. 33612, USA
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33
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Vera PL, Ordorica RC, Meyer-Siegler KL. Hydrochloric acid induced changes in macrophage migration inhibitory factor in the bladder, peripheral and central nervous system of the rat. J Urol 2003; 170:623-7. [PMID: 12853844 DOI: 10.1097/01.ju.0000066001.10343.d5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE We established the presence of the proinflammatory cytokine macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) in the bladder and in nervous system structures innervating the bladder, and evaluated changes in MIF and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) protein levels and expression following chemical cystitis. MATERIALS AND METHODS Male Sprague-Dawley rats were anesthetized and a catheter was introduced into the bladder dome. Cystitis was induced by infusing 0.4 N HCl into the bladder. Control rats received a similar volume of saline. Two hours later the bladder, major pelvic ganglia (MPG), L6/S1 dorsal root ganglia (DRG) and L6/S1 spinal cord were removed and assayed for MIF and COX-2 protein, and mRNA using Western blot and quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction techniques. RESULTS Immunohistochemistry showed MIF located mainly in the urothelium of saline treated rats. Instillation of HCl into the bladder resulted in marked epithelial denudation, moderate edema and vasodilatation in the submucosa. MIF protein levels decreased but MIF mRNA expression remained unchanged in bladders treated with HCl compared with controls. However, MIF protein and mRNA levels increased in the MPG, L6/S1 DRG and L6/S1 spinal cord of HCl treated animals. COX-2 protein was not detected in the bladder, DRG or MPG of saline-treated rats. However, a small amount was present in the L6/S1 cord. On the other hand, HCl treated rats showed marked increases in COX-2 protein levels in all tissues examined. Similarly although cox-2 mRNA was constitutively expressed in all tissues examined, expression increased following HCl treatment. CONCLUSIONS Chemical cystitis induced by intravesical HCl in rats increases the protein levels and mRNA expression of MIF and COX-2 in central and peripheral nervous system tissues that are involved in innervating the bladder. This finding suggests that MIF may be involved in bladder inflammation and may have a role in the peripheral and central nervous system pathways that regulate bladder reflexes in response to bladder inflammation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pedro L Vera
- Research and Development Service, Bay Pines Veterans Affairs Medical Center, and Department of Surgery, University of South Florida, Tampa, USA
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34
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Bennett HL, Gustafsson JA, Keast JR. Estrogen receptor expression in lumbosacral dorsal root ganglion cells innervating the female rat urinary bladder. Auton Neurosci 2003; 105:90-100. [PMID: 12798205 DOI: 10.1016/s1566-0702(03)00044-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
We have investigated whether bladder afferent neurons are likely to be targets for circulating estrogens by mapping estrogen receptor (ER) distribution in lumbosacral dorsal root ganglia (DRG) of adult female rats. Sensory neurons innervating either the detrusor or trigone regions were identified by application of fluorescent retrograde tracer dyes to the bladder wall. Labelled neurons were classified by their immunoreactivity for either type of ER (ERalpha or ERbeta) and further compared with subpopulations of neurons containing substance P, calcitonin gene-related peptide and vanilloid receptor (a marker of polymodal nociceptors). Both ER types were expressed in numerous sensory neurons of either upper lumbar (L1/L2) or lower lumbar/sacral (L6/S1) ganglia and there was almost complete coexpression of ERalpha and ERbeta. ER-positive neurons were mainly small-medium size (18-25-microm diameter), indicating that they may be nociceptors and/or supply visceral targets. Most bladder-projecting neurons expressed ERs and the majority of these also expressed neuropeptides or vanilloid receptor. Afferent neurons supplying detrusor and trigone regions had similar immunohistochemical features. About a third of the bladder-projecting neurons expressed both ER and vanilloid receptor, suggesting a mechanism by which estrogens could influence bladder pain. The prevalence of different chemical classes of ER-positive bladder-projecting neurons was reflected throughout the entire population of neurons in dorsal root ganglia of these spinal levels, suggesting that neurons supplying other pelvic visceral targets may have similar chemical profiles. These results suggest that many functional classes of sensory neurons innervating the lower urinary tract are likely to be targets for circulating estrogens, including many nociceptor neurons. The coexistence of ERalpha and ERbeta suggests a broad range of potential mechanisms by which estrogens may exert their genomic effects in this system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haley L Bennett
- Prince of Wales Medical Research Institute, University of New South Wales, NSW 2052, Sydney, Australia
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Abstract
Both the uterus and bladder contain cannabinoid (CB) receptors whose functions are poorly understood. Here, in urethane-anesthetized female rats in metestrus, we simultaneously compared the effects of close-arterial injections of the cannabinoid receptor agonist WIN 55,212-2 (WIN2) on uterine contractions (amplitude and rate) and micturition thresholds (MT) assessed by cystometry. Five doses of WIN2 were delivered (0.01, 0.1, 0.5, 1, and 1.5 micromol/kg) in three groups: (1) controls; (2) after bladder inflammation with intravesicular turpentine; and (3) after bilateral hypogastric neurectomy (HYPX). In some rats, drugs were delivered via the tail vein. Regarding bladder, WIN2 dose-dependently reduced MTs in all groups. Both bladder inflammation and HYPX significantly increased this effect. Regarding uterus, WIN2 dose-dependently increased uterine contraction amplitude. Bladder inflammation or HYPX significantly decreased this effect. Coinjection of the CB1 antagonist SR141716A (SR) (1.5 micromol/kg) and WIN2 (0.5 micromol/kg) abolished or reduced the effects of WIN2 in both organs. SR alone had significant effects only after HYPX, reducing both MT and uterine contraction amplitude. The vehicle (0.4% DMSO) and inactive enantiomer S(-)-WIN 55,212-3 were both ineffective. Close-arterial injections of WIN2 (0.5 micromol/kg) produced significantly larger effects in both organs than tail vein injections. These results indicate that, whereas WIN2 reduces bladder motility, it mainly increases uterine motility, likely via CB1 receptors located in the two organs. The opposing effects of bladder inflammation and HYPX on the potency of WIN in the two organs suggest a neurally mediated viscero-visceral interaction in which bladder inflammation influences uterine CB1 sensitivity, possibly by inhibiting adrenergic input to the uterus.
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36
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Dmitrieva N, Johnson OL, Berkley KJ. Bladder inflammation and hypogastric neurectomy influence uterine motility in the rat. Neurosci Lett 2001; 313:49-52. [PMID: 11684337 DOI: 10.1016/s0304-3940(01)02247-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
How pathophysiology of one pelvic organ influences the physiology of another is poorly understood. Here we compared the influence of bladder inflammation and hypogastric neurectomy (HYPX) on uterine contractions and bladder reflexes in urethane-anesthetized rats. Uterine contractions were measured via a latex balloon in one uterine horn. Bladder reflexes were assessed by micturition thresholds (MT) obtained cystometrographically. Whereas bladder inflammation significantly increased bladder reflexes (i.e., reduced MTs), it significantly decreased uterine contraction rate. Whereas HYPX produced small significant decreases in MT, it decreased the rate and significantly increased the amplitude of uterine contractions. These results indicate that bladder pathophysiology can influence uterine contractions and that some of this influence may be via the hypogastric nerve. Such viscero-visceral interactions likely involve spinal cord mechanisms and may have considerable clinical relevance.
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Affiliation(s)
- N Dmitrieva
- Program in Neuroscience, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306-1270, USA
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37
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MEEN MURIELLE, COUDORE-CIVIALE MARIEANGE, ESCHALIER ALAIN, BOUCHER MICHEL. INVOLVEMENT OF HYPOGASTRIC AND PELVIC NERVES FOR CONVEYING CYSTITIS INDUCED NOCICEPTION IN CONSCIOUS RATS. J Urol 2001. [DOI: 10.1016/s0022-5347(05)66152-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- MURIELLE MEEN
- From the INSERM EPI 9904, Laboratoire de Physiologie, Faculté de Pharmacie and Laboratoire de Pharmacologie Médicale, Faculté de Médecine, Clermont-Ferrand Cedex, France
| | - MARIE-ANGE COUDORE-CIVIALE
- From the INSERM EPI 9904, Laboratoire de Physiologie, Faculté de Pharmacie and Laboratoire de Pharmacologie Médicale, Faculté de Médecine, Clermont-Ferrand Cedex, France
| | - ALAIN ESCHALIER
- From the INSERM EPI 9904, Laboratoire de Physiologie, Faculté de Pharmacie and Laboratoire de Pharmacologie Médicale, Faculté de Médecine, Clermont-Ferrand Cedex, France
| | - MICHEL BOUCHER
- From the INSERM EPI 9904, Laboratoire de Physiologie, Faculté de Pharmacie and Laboratoire de Pharmacologie Médicale, Faculté de Médecine, Clermont-Ferrand Cedex, France
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38
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INVOLVEMENT OF HYPOGASTRIC AND PELVIC NERVES FOR CONVEYING CYSTITIS INDUCED NOCICEPTION IN CONSCIOUS RATS. J Urol 2001. [DOI: 10.1097/00005392-200107000-00090] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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39
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Keast JR. Unusual autonomic ganglia: connections, chemistry, and plasticity of pelvic ganglia. INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF CYTOLOGY 1999; 193:1-69. [PMID: 10494620 DOI: 10.1016/s0074-7696(08)61778-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 86] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
The pelvic ganglia provide the majority of the autonomic nerve supply to reproductive organs, urinary bladder, and lower bowel. Of all autonomic ganglia, they are probably the least understood because in many species their anatomy is particularly complex. Furthermore, they are unusual autonomic ganglia in many ways, including their connections, structure, chemistry, and hormone sensitivity. This review will compare and contrast the normal structure and function of pelvic ganglia with other types of autonomic ganglia (sympathetic, parasympathetic, and enteric). Two aspects of plasticity in the pelvic pathways will also be discussed. First, the influence of gonadal steroids on the maturation and maintenance of pelvic reflex circuits will be considered. Second, the consequences of nerve injury will be discussed, particularly in the context of the pelvic ganglia receiving distributed spinal inputs. The review demonstrates that in many ways the pelvic ganglia differ substantially from other autonomic ganglia. Pelvic ganglia may also provide a useful system in which to study many fundamental neurobiological questions of broader relevance.
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Affiliation(s)
- J R Keast
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
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40
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Abstract
The nature of neural plasticity and the factors that influence it vary throughout life. Adult neurons undergo extensive and continual adaptation in response to demands that are quite different from those of early development. We review the main influences on the survival, growth and neurotransmitter expression in adult and ageing sympathetic neurons, comparing these influences to those at work in early development. This "developmental" approach is proposed because, despite the contrasting needs of different phases of development, each phase has a profound influence on the mechanisms of plasticity available to its successors. Interactions between neurons and their targets, whether effector cells or other neurons, are vital to all of these aspects of neural plasticity. Sympathetic neurons require access to target-derived diffusible neurotrophic factors such as NGF, NT3 and GDNF, as well as to bound elements of the extracellular matrix such as laminin. These factors probably influence plasticity throughout life. In adult life, and even in old age, sympathetic neurons are relatively resistant to cell death. However, they continue to require target-derived diffusible and bound factors for their maintenance, growth and neurotransmitter expression. Failure to maintain appropriate neuronal function in old age, for example in the breakdown of homeostasis, may result partly from a disturbance of the dynamic, trophic relationship between neurons and their targets. However, there is no clear evidence that this is due to a failure of targets to synthesize neurotrophic factors. On the neural side of the equation, altered responsiveness of sympathetic neurons to neurotrophic factors suggests that expression of the trk and p75 neurotrophin receptors contributes to neuronal survival, maintenance and growth in adulthood and old age. Altered receptor expression may therefore underlie the selective vulnerability of some sympathetic neurons in old age. The role of neural connectivity and activity in the regulation of synthesis of target-derived factors, as well as in neurotransmitter dynamics, is reviewed.
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Affiliation(s)
- T Cowen
- Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology, Royal Free Hospital School of Medicine, London, U.K
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41
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Dering MA, Santer RM, Watson AH. Age-related changes in the morphology of preganglionic neurons projecting to the paracervical ganglion of nulliparous and multiparous rats. Brain Res 1998; 780:245-52. [PMID: 9507153 DOI: 10.1016/s0006-8993(97)01199-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
The aim of this study was to investigate age-related changes in preganglionic neurons in the lumbar and sacral spinal cord of the female rat that may underlie impaired control of the urogenital system in old age. Preganglionic sympathetic and parasympathetic neurons of young adult, aged nulliparous and aged multiparous rats were identified by retrograde tracing with cholera toxin subunit-B and subsequent immunocytochemistry. Labeled preganglionic neurons were scanned, processed and analyzed using the confocal microscope. Measurements were made of soma area, number of primary dendrites, number of dendritic branch points and total dendritic length. There were significant decreases in the number of primary dendrites, number of dendritic branch points and total dendritic length of sympathetic preganglionic neurons in both nulliparous and multiparous aged rats compared to the young adult group. No significant differences were found in the dendritic morphology of aged parasympathetic preganglionic neurons. Soma area was not significantly different between age groups for sympathetic or parasympathetic preganglionic neurons. These changes in dendritic morphology may result in altered control of the lower urogenital tract in aged nulliparous and multiparous female rats.
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Affiliation(s)
- M A Dering
- Anatomy Unit, School of Molecular and Medical Biosciences, University of Wales Cardiff, UK
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42
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Bon K, Lantéri-Minet M, Menétrey D. Involvement of the dorsal paratrigeminal nucleus in visceral pain-related phenomena. COMPTES RENDUS DE L'ACADEMIE DES SCIENCES. SERIE III, SCIENCES DE LA VIE 1997; 320:607-13. [PMID: 9337996 DOI: 10.1016/s0764-4469(97)85693-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Cyclophosphamide is an antitumor agent that generates evolving cystitis through the release of toxic urinary by-products, mostly acrolein, that attack the bladder walls. Using c-fos expression, which permits quantitative analysis of neural activity, we demonstrated that the paratrigeminal nucleus is involved in processing the inputs that this disease generates. c-Fos staining in the paratrigeminal nucleus increases regularly reaching a plateau over the 4 h postinjection period during which the disease develops. The degree of staining is directly correlated with that of the subnucleus medialis of the nucleus of the solitary tract, which is one of the main structures that processes cystitis-related inputs at the supraspinal level.
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Affiliation(s)
- K Bon
- Unité 161, Institut national de la santé et de la recherche médicale, 2, Paris, France
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43
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Bon K, Lantéri-Minet M, Menétrey D. Involvement of the dorsal paratrigeminal nucleus in visceral pain-related phenomena. COMPTES RENDUS DE L'ACADEMIE DES SCIENCES. SERIE III, SCIENCES DE LA VIE 1997; 320:533-9. [PMID: 9309254 DOI: 10.1016/s0764-4469(97)84708-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Cyclophosphamide is an antitumor agent that generates evolving cystitis through the release of toxic urinary by-products, mostly acrolein, that attack the bladder walls. Using c-fos expression, which permits quantitative analysis of neural activity, we demonstrated that the paratrigeminal nucleus is involved in processing the inputs that this disease generates. c-Fos staining in the paratrigeminal nucleus increases regularly reaching a plateau over the 4 h postinjection period during which the disease develops. The degree of staining is directly correlated with that of the subnucleus medialis of the nucleus of the solitary tract, which is one of the main structures that processes cystitis-related inputs at the supraspinal level.
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Affiliation(s)
- K Bon
- Unit 161, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, Paris, France
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44
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Su X, Sengupta JN, Gebhart GF. Effects of opioids on mechanosensitive pelvic nerve afferent fibers innervating the urinary bladder of the rat. J Neurophysiol 1997; 77:1566-80. [PMID: 9084620 DOI: 10.1152/jn.1997.77.3.1566] [Citation(s) in RCA: 79] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
A total of 443 pelvic nerve afferent fibers in the L6 dorsal root of the rat were identified by electrical stimulation of the pelvic nerve; 319 (72%) were myelinated A delta fibers with a mean conduction velocity (CV) of 11.8 m/s and 124 (28%) were unmyelinated C fibers with mean CV of 1.9 m/s. Two hundred fifty-two fibers (57%) responded to noxious urinary bladder distension (UBD; 80 mmHg); 108 were C fibers (mean CV; 1.9 m/s) and 144 were A delta fibers (mean CV; 8.2 m/s). Forty-nine UBD-sensitive fibers were further characterized; all gave monotonic increases in firing to increasing distending pressures. Thirty-six fibers (73%) had a low-threshold (LT) for response (mean: 6 mmHg) and 13 fibers (27%) had high-thresholds (HT) for response (mean: 32 mmHg). Responses of 15 fibers to graded UBD (11 LT and 4 HT) were tested before and after instillation of 0.5 ml of 30% xylenes (n = 11) or 5% mustard oil (n = 4) into the bladder. The mean resting activity of 13 fibers significantly increased, and 7 fibers exhibited sensitization of responses to graded UBD 30 min after xylenes or mustard oil instillation. All 4 HT fibers were sensitized; 3 of the 11 LT fibers were sensitized (i.e., gave increased responses to UBD). The effects of opioid receptor agonists were tested on responses to noxious UBD (80 mmHg). Cumulative intraarterial doses of mu-opioid receptor agonists (morphine, 8 mg/kg, and fentanyl, 300 micrograms/kg) and of delta-opioid receptor agonists (DPDPE, 300 micrograms/kg, and SNC-80, 300 micrograms/kg) did not affect responses to noxious UBD. In contrast, cumulative 16 mg/kg intraarterial doses of the kappa-opioid receptor agonists U50,488H, U69,593 and U62,066 dose-dependently attenuated responses to noxious UBD. There were no differences in the dose-response relationships of these drugs on afferent fibers from untreated and xylenes- or mustard oil-treated urinary bladder. These results reveal that there is a greater proportion of UBD-sensitive fibers in the L6 dorsal root (57%) than in the S1 dorsal root of the rat (38%; a previous study). The attenuation of responses to UBD by kappa, but not mu or delta opioid receptor agonists suggests a potential use for peripherally acting kappa opioid receptor agonists in the control of urinary bladder pain.
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Affiliation(s)
- X Su
- University of Iowa, College of Medicine, Department of Pharmacology, Iowa City 52242, USA
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45
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Vera PL, Haase EB, Schramm LP. Origins of the sympathetic innervation of the cervical end of the uterus in the rat. Brain Res 1997; 747:140-3. [PMID: 9042537 DOI: 10.1016/s0006-8993(96)01107-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
A retrograde neuronal tracer (Fast Blue) was injected in the cervical end of the uterine horn of virgin rats. The majority of the retrogradely labeled post-ganglionic sympathetic neurons were found in the sympathetic chain (74%). The superior mesenteric ganglia, inferior mesenteric ganglia and suprarenal ganglia accounted for 22, 3 and < 1%, respectively. The distribution of neurons in the sympathetic chain labeled from the uterus resembles that described for other pelvic organs.
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Affiliation(s)
- P L Vera
- George Washington University, Department of Neurosurgery, Washington, D.C. 20037, USA.
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46
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ZHOU Y, TAN CK, LING EA. Distribution of NADPH-diaphorase and nitric oxide synthase-containing neurons in the intramural ganglia of guinea pig urinary bladder. J Anat 1997; 190 ( Pt 1):135-45. [PMID: 9034889 PMCID: PMC1467591 DOI: 10.1046/j.1469-7580.1997.19010135.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
The cell population and distribution of NADPH-diaphorase positive and NOS immunoreactive intramural ganglion cells were examined on stretched whole-mount preparations of the guinea pig urinary bladder which was divided into 3 regions: base, body and dome. The results showed that the highest frequency both of NADPH-d and NOS positive neurons was observed in the bladder base. Cell counts in the whole bladder showed that the number of NADPH-d positive neurons was much more than that of NOS immunoreactive neurons. Using neuron specific enolase (NSE) positive neurons as a reference (100%), NADPH-d positive neurons accounted for 84% while NOS immunoreactive neurons only made up 45% of the total neuronal population. These results, along with previous studies on the function of nitric oxide, suggest that nitric oxide may be involved in the relaxation activity in the bladder base during micturition. The significant difference in the number of NADPH-d positive and NOS immunoreactive neurons suggests that the localisation of one enzyme does not necessarily reflect the presence of the other.
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Affiliation(s)
- Y.
ZHOU
- Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, National University of Singapore
| | - C. K.
TAN
- Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, National University of Singapore
| | - E. A.
LING
- Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, National University of Singapore
- Address for correspondence: Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 119260. Fax: 65 –7787643; e-mail:
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47
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Dering MA, Santer RM, Watson AH. Age-related changes in the morphology of preganglionic neurons projecting to the rat hypogastric ganglion. JOURNAL OF NEUROCYTOLOGY 1996; 25:555-63. [PMID: 8971635 DOI: 10.1007/bf02284823] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
The aim of this study was to investigate age-related changes in preganglionic neurons of the lumbar and sacral spinal cord of the male rat that may underlie impaired control of the urogenital system in old age. Preganglionic sympathetic and parasympathetic neurons of 4- and 24-month-old rats were identified by retrograde axonal tracing with cholera toxin subunit-B followed by immunocytochemistry. Labelled preganglionic neurons were scanned on the confocal microscope. Measurements were made of soma area, number of primary dendrites, number of dendritic branch points and total dendritic length. There were significant decreases in the number of dendritic branch points and total dendritic length of sympathetic preganglionic neurons in the aged rats compared to the adult group. The soma area and number of primary dendrites were not significantly different. Some cells exhibited signs of degeneration, such as swelling of the soma and distension of the proximal part of primary dendrites. No significant differences were found in any of the parameters measured for the parasympathetic neurons. The changes in dendritic morphology of sympathetic preganglionic neurons may reflect altered central and peripheral control of pelvic viscera in old age.
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Affiliation(s)
- M A Dering
- Anatomy Unit, School of Molecular and Medical Biosciences, University of Wales, Cardiff, UK
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48
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Papka RE, Thompson BD, Schmidt HH. Identification of uterine-related sympathetic neurons in the rat inferior mesenteric ganglion: neurotransmitter content and afferent input. JOURNAL OF THE AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM 1996; 59:51-9. [PMID: 8816365 DOI: 10.1016/0165-1838(96)00003-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
The rat uterus is innervated by sensory and autonomic nerves. Sensory and sympathetic fibers travel in the hypogastric nerves and are associated with the thoracolumbar spinal cord levels T13-L3. The inferior mesenteric ganglion (IMG) contains the somata of sympathetic postganglionic neurons and some of these may project axons to the uterus. Sensory and parasympathetic fibers travel in the pelvic nerve and are associated with the lumbosacral cord levels L6-S1 and pelvic ganglion (PG). We previously reported data concerning the neurochemical anatomy of the PG with regard to the uterine innervation; the present study was undertaken to characterize the neurochemical anatomy of the IMG with regard to it involvement in uterine innervation. A retrograde axonal tracer was used to verify projections of axons of IMG neurons to the uterus. Immunostaining of cryostat sections of the IMG revealed neurons immunoreactive for neuropeptide Y (NPY) and for tyrosine hydroxylase (TH). Immunostaining for the synaptic terminal protein synapsin I (SYN) revealed numerous fine terminals immediately surrounding the principal neurons and in the interneuronal spaces. Varicosities immunoreactive for calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP), enkephalin (ENK), substance P (SP) and galanin (GAL) appear to be associated with principal neurons. Additional varicosities stained for nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (reduced)-diaphorase (NADPH-d) and nitric oxide synthase (NOS), thus indicating sites of neuronal nitric oxide synthesis. This study revealed that the IMG contains uterine-related neurons and that some of the retrogradely labeled uterine-related neurons contain NPY, TH or both NPY/TH. In addition, uterine-related neurons received abundant afferent inputs indicated by SYN-immunoreactive (-ir) terminals and some of these varicosities labeled for GAL, CGRP, VIP, ENK, or NADPH-d/NOS.
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Affiliation(s)
- R E Papka
- Department of Anatomical Sciences, University of Oklahoma, Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City 73190, USA.
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Blok BF, Holstege G. The neuronal control of micturition and its relation to the emotional motor system. PROGRESS IN BRAIN RESEARCH 1996; 107:113-26. [PMID: 8782516 DOI: 10.1016/s0079-6123(08)61861-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- B F Blok
- Department of Anatomy and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Groningen, The Netherlands
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50
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Kepper M, Keast J. Immunohistochemical properties and spinal connections of pelvic autonomic neurons that innervate the rat prostate gland. Cell Tissue Res 1995; 281:533-42. [PMID: 7553772 DOI: 10.1007/bf00417871] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
Autonomic innervation of the prostate gland supplies the acini, and non-vascular and vascular smooth muscle. The activity of each of these tissues is enhanced by sympathetic outflow, whereas the role of the parasympathetic nervous system in this organ is unclear. In the present study, a range of methods was applied in rats to determine the location of autonomic neurons supplying this gland, the immunohistochemical properties of these neurons, the spinal connections made with the postganglionic pathways and the distribution of various axon types within the gland. Injection of the retrograde tracer, FluoroGold, into the ventral gland visualised neurons within the major pelvic ganglion and sympathetic chain. Fluorescence immunohistochemical studies on the labelled pelvic neurons showed that most were nonadrenergic (also containing neuropeptide Y, NPY), the others being non-noradrenergic and containing either vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) or NPY. Sympathetic dye-labelled neurons were identified by the presence of varicose nerve terminals stained for synaptophysin on their somata following lesion of sacral inputs. Parasympathetic innervation of dye-labelled neurons was identified by continued innervation after hypogastric nerve lesion. Most noradrenergic prostate-projecting neurons were sympathetic, as were many of the non-noradrenergic VIP neurons. Parasympathetic prostate-projecting neurons were largely non-noradrenergic and contained either VIP or NPY. All substances found in retrogradely labelled somata were located in axons within the prostate gland but had slightly different patterns of distribution. The studies have shown that there are a significant number of non-noradrenergic sympathetic prostate-projecting neurons, which contain VIP.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Kepper
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, University of Queensland, Australia
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