Turner AC, Powers SA, Odom MR, Pak ES, Ashcraft KA, Koontz BF, Hannan JL. Impact of
prostatic radiation therapy on bladder contractility and innervation.
Neurourol Urodyn 2021;
40:1470-1478. [PMID:
34015163 DOI:
10.1002/nau.24705]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2021] [Revised: 05/03/2021] [Accepted: 05/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
AIMS
To determine the effect of prostatic radiation therapy (RT) on bladder contractility and morphology, and axon, or neuron profiles within the detrusor and major pelvic ganglia (MPG) in male rats.
METHODS
Male Sprague-Dawley rats (8 weeks) received a single dose of prostatic RT (0 or 22 Gy). Bladders and MPG were collected 2- and 10-weeks post-RT. Detrusor contractile responses to carbachol and electrical field stimulation (EFS) were measured. Bladders were stained with Masson's trichrome, and antibodies for nonspecific neuronal marker, cholinergic nerve marker choline acetyltransferase (ChAT), and alpha-smooth muscle actin. MPG gene expression was assessed by quantitative polymerase chain reaction for ubiquitin carboxy-terminal hydrolase L1 (Uchl1) and Chat.
RESULTS
At 2 weeks post-RT, bladder smooth muscle, detrusor cholinergic axon profiles, and MPG Chat gene expression were increased (p < .05), while carbachol and EFS-mediated contractions were decreased (p < .05). In contrast, at 10 weeks post-RT, nerve-mediated contractions were increased compared with control (p < .05), while bladder smooth muscle, detrusor cholinergic axon profiles, MPG Chat expression, and carbachol contractions had normalized. At both 2- and 10-weeks post-RT, there was no change in detrusor nonspecific axon profiles and MPG Uchl1 expression.
CONCLUSION
In a rat model, RT of the prostate and MPG was associated with early changes in MPG Chat gene expression, and bladder cholinergic axon profiles and smooth muscle content which resolved over time. After RT recovery, bladder contractility decreased early and increased by 10 weeks. Long-term changes to the MPG and increased bladder cholinergic axons may contribute to RT-induced bladder dysfunction in prostate cancer survivors.
Collapse