Intravesical Administration of Xenogeneic Porcine Urothelial Cells Attenuates Cyclophosphamide-Induced Cystitis in Mice

Sulfhydryl functionalized hyaluronic acid hydrogels attenuate cyclophosphamide-induced bladder injury

Clinical management of cyclophosphamide (CYP) results in numerous side effects including hemorrhagic cystitis (HC), which is characterized by inflammation and oxidative stress damage. Intravesical hyaluronic acid (HA) supplementation, a therapeutic method to restore barrier function of bladder, avoid the stimulation of metabolic toxicants on bladder and reduce inflammatory response, has shown good results in acute or chronic bladder diseases. However, there are unmet medical needs for the treatment of HC to temporarily restore bladder barrier and reduce inflammation. Herein, sulfhydryl functionalized HA (HA-SH) and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) were used to prepared a hydrogel system for optimizing the treatment of HC. We systematically evaluated the physicochemical of hydrogels and their roles in a rat model of CYP-induced HC. The prepared hydrogels exhibited outstanding gel forming properties, injectability, and biosafety. Swelling and retention studies showed that hydrogels were stable and could prolong the residence time of HA in the bladder. Histopathology and vascular permeability studies indicated that the hydrogels significantly attenuated bladder injury caused by CYP administration. Moreover, the hydrogels also showed excellent anti-inflammation and anti-oxidation properties. In conclusion, these data suggest that intravesical instillation of HA-SH/DMSO hydrogels reduces CYP-induced bladder toxicity and this work provides a new strategy for the prevention and early treatment of HC.

Cyclin-dependent kinase 1 shows to be a potential genetic target for chemical cystitis

Background

In the present study, we aimed to explore whether common genetic targets or signaling pathways existed in chemical cystitis.

Methods

Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database was used to search the related gene expression profiles. The differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified by using GEO2R. The DAVID 6.8 Beta and R software were used to perform Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway analysis and Gene Ontology function analysis of DEGs. The protein‐protein interaction network was constructed by STRING 11.0 to reveal the potential gene interactions. The expression of cyclin‐dependent kinase 1 (Cdk1) at the messnger RNA (mRNA) and protein levels was examined by real‐time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and Western blot analysis analysis, respectively.

Results

The GEO database was searched, and the gene expression profiles of GSE55986 and GSE68539 were downloaded. A total of 262 DEGs and 356 DEGs were identified from GSE55986 and GSE68539, respectively. We found that the p53 signaling pathway might play a key role in the development of chemical cystitis, and Cdk1 acted as a crucial gene in the p53 signaling pathway. Moreover, the experimental results of real‐time PCR and Western blot analysis analysis demonstrated that the expression of Cdk1 at the mRNA and protein levels in cystitis tissues was significantly increased in different animal models of chemical cystitis compared with the control group.

Conclusion

Cdk1 might be a potential pathogenic genetic target for chemical cystitis.

Biomaterial-assisted drug delivery for interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome treatment

Interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS) is a chronic and painful bladder condition afflicting patients with increased urinary urgency and frequency as well as incontinence. Owing to the elusive pathogenesis of IC/BPS, obtaining effective therapeutic outcomes remains challenging. Current administrational routes such as intravesical-bladder injection improve the treatment efficacy and reduce systemic side effects. However, the bladder permeability barrier hinders drug penetration into the bladder wall to meet the desired therapeutic expectation. These issues can be addressed by encapsulating drugs into biomaterials. When appropriately exploited, they would increase the drug dwelling time in the bladder, enhance the penetration of mucosa and improve the therapeutic response of IC/BPS. In this review, we first elucidate the pathogenesis and animal models of IC/BPS. Then, we highlight recent representative biomaterial-assisted drug delivery systems for IC/BPS treatment. Finally, we discuss the challenges and outlook for further developing biomaterial-based delivery systems for IC/BPS management.