Int Neurourol J.
2010 Aug;14(2):78-85.
The Expression of AQP1 and eNOS in Menopausal Rat Urinary Bladder
- Affiliations
-
- 1Department of Urology, Chonnam National University Medical School, Gwangju, Korea. seinsena@hanmail.net
- 2Department of Anatomy, Chonnam National University Medical School, Gwangju, Korea.
- 3Department of Ophthalmology, College of Medicine, Chungju Hospital, Konkuk University, Chungbuk, Korea.
Abstract
- PURPOSE
Aquaporins (AQPs) have been reported to be expressed in rat and human urothelium. Nitric oxide (NO) is thought to play an important role in the bladder overactivity related to menopause. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of hormonal alteration on the expression of AQP1 and eNOS in menopausal rat urinary bladder.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Female Sprague-Dawley rats (230-240 g, N=30) were divided into three groups: control (N=10), bilateral ovariectomy (Ovx, N=10), and bilateral ovariectomy followed by subcutaneous injections of 17beta-estradiol (50 mg/kg/day, Ovx+Est, N=10). After 4 weeks, urodynamic studies measuring the contraction interval and contraction pressure were done. The expression and cellular localization of AQP1 and eNOS were determined by performing Western blotting and immunohistochemistry on the rat urinary bladder.
RESULTS
The approximate contraction interval (min) was significantly decreased in the Ovx group (3.9+/-0.25) compared to the control group (6.7+/-0.15), and was increased after estrogen treatment (9.7+/-0.22) (p<0.05). The AQP1 and eNOS immunoreactivities were localized in the same areas: capillaries, arterioles, and venules of the lamina propria. The protein expression of AQP1 was not changed significantly, whereas eNOS expression was significantly decreased in the Ovx group and restored to the control value in the Ovx+Est group.
CONCLUSIONS
This study showed that ovariectomy causes a significant change in e-NOS expression without a change in AQP1 in menopausal rat urinary bladder. This may imply that e-NOS has a functional role in the bladder overactivity that occurs in association with menopause.
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