Impairment of urinary bladder mechanical properties in rat model of type 2 diabetes.

AIMS: The urinary bladder is a mechanosensitive organ that accumulates, stores, and expels considerable amounts of fluid. While the neuronal bladder control via the CNS is well defined, the data on the mechanisms of local mechanical sensitivity of the bladder wall are either insufficient or contradictory. Here we compared the mechanical properties of bladder wall of normal rats and rats with modeled type 2 diabetes (T2D). METHODS: T2D was modeled in 3-month-old Wistar male rats by combined administration of nicotinamide (230 mg/kg) and streptozotocin (65 mg/kg). Cystometry of isolated, denervated whole bladders and stress-strain tensiometry on detrusor smooth muscle (DSM) strips were used to assess the mechanical properties of bladder wall tissues from control and diabetic animals on 10th week after induction. RESULTS: The pressure-volume cystometrograms of both control and T2D bladders featured a quasi plateau between ascending sections. T2D cystometrograms revealed markedly elevated intravesicular pressure (~100% at 1 ml) and a shortened plateau, consistent with decreased bladder wall elasticity and reduced structural bladder capacity versus control. Experiments on urothelium-intact and urothelium-devoid DSM strips have shown that the decrease of bladder walls elasticity in T2D can be explained by the switch of stretched urothelium from inducing DSM relaxation to inducing DSM contraction due to a change in the prevalent release of contractile versus relaxing urothelial factor(s). CONCLUSIONS: The decreased elasticity of the bladder walls in T2D results from alterations in urothelium-dependent mechanosensory mechanisms. Elevated intravesical pressure in T2D may contribute to urge incontinence and/or symptoms of upper urinary tract damage.

Modulation of excitability, membrane currents and survival of cardiac myocytes by N-acylethanolamines.

N-acylethanolamines (NAE) are endogenously produced lipids playing important roles in a diverse range of physiological and pathological conditions. In the present study, using whole-cell patch clamp technique, we have for the first time investigated the effects of the most abundantly produced NAEs, N-stearoylethanolamine (SEA) and N-oleoylethanolamine (OEA), on electric excitability and membrane currents in cardiomyocytes isolated from endocardial, epicardial, and atrial regions of neonatal rat heart. SEA and OEA (1-10µM) attenuated electrical activity of the myocytes from all regions of the cardiac muscle by hyperpolarizing resting potential, reducing amplitude, and shortening the duration of the action potential. However, the magnitudes of these effects varied significantly depending on the type of cardiac myocyte (i.e., endocardial, epicardial, atrial) with OEA being generally more potent. OEA and to a lesser extent SEA suppressed in a concentration-dependent manner currents through voltage-gated Na(+) (VGSC) and L-type Ca(2+) (VGCC) channels, but induced variable cardiac myocyte type-dependent effects on background K(+) and Cl(-) conductance. The mechanisms of inhibitory action of OEA on cardiac VGSCs and VGCCs involved influence on channels' activation/inactivation gating and partial blockade of ion permeation. OEA also enhanced the viability of cardiac myocytes by reducing necrosis without a significant effect on apoptosis. We conclude that SEA and OEA attenuate the excitability of cardiac myocytes mainly through inhibition of VGSCs and VGCC-mediated Ca(2+) entry. Since NAEs are known to increase during tissue ischemia and infarction, these effects of NAEs may mediate some of their cardioprotective actions during these pathological conditions.

Induction of A549 Nonsmall-Cell Lung Cancer Cells Proliferation by Photoreleased Nicotine.

Caged compounds comprise the group of artificially synthesized, light-sensitive molecules that enable in situ derivation of biologically active constituents capable of affecting cells, tissues and/or biological processes upon exposure to light. Ruthenium-bispyridine (RuBi) complexes are photolyzed by biologically harmless visible light. In the present study, we show that RuBi-caged nicotine can be used as a source of free nicotine to induce proliferation of A549 nonsmall-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells by acting on nicotinic acetylcholine receptors expressed in these cells. RuBi-nicotine was photolyzed using LED light source with the spectrum matching RuBi-absorption. Photorelease of free nicotine ([Nic]p/r ) was quantified by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). 5-s-long light exposure of 10 µm of RuBi-nicotine generated 2 µm [Nic]p/r which enhanced A549 cell proliferation similarly to the 2 µm of plain nicotine during 72 h of cell culturing. Both RuBi-nicotine per se and its photolysis byproduct exerted no effect on A549 cells. We conclude that RuBi-nicotine can be a good source of free nicotine for inducing short- and long-term biological effects. Photolysis of RuBi-nicotine is quite effective, and can produce biologically relevant concentrations of nicotine at acceptable concentrations of the source material with the use of simple, inexpensive, and easily accessible light sources.

Temperature-dependent contractility of rat tunica dartos muscle: Contribution of cold, menthol-sensitive TRPM8.

Tunica dartos smooth muscle (TDSM) lies beneath the scrotal skin, and its contraction leads to scrotum wrinkling upon cooling. However, neither the nature of TDSM cold-sensitivity nor the underlying molecular sensors are well understood. Here we have investigated the role of cold/menthol-sensitive TRPM8 channel in TDSM temperature-dependent contractility. The contraction of isolated male rat TDSM strips was studied by tensiometry. TRPM8 expression was assayed by RT-PCR and fluorescence immunochemistry. Isolated TDSM strips responded to cooling from 33 °C to 20 °C by enhancement of basal tension, and increase of the amplitude and duration of electric field stimulated (EFS) contractions. The effects of cold on basal tension, but not on EFS-contractions, could be 80% inhibited by TRPM8 blockers, capsazepine and BCTC [N-(4­tert-butylphenyl)-4-(3-chloropyridin-2-yl)piperazine-1-carboxamide], and could be partially mimicked by menthol. RT-PCR and immunolabeling showed TRPM8 mRNA and protein expression in TDSM cells with protein labelling being predominantly localized to intracellular compartments. Chemical castration of male rats consequent to the treatment with androgen receptor blocker, flutamide, led to the abrogation of cold effects on TDSM basal tension, but not on EFS-contractions, and to the disappearance of TRPM8 protein expression. We conclude that TRPM8 is involved in the maintenance of basal cold-induced TDSM tonus, but not in sympathetic nerve-mediated contractility, by acting as endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ release channel whose expression in TDSM cells requires the presence of a functional androgen receptor. Thus, TRPM8 plays a crucial role in scrotal thermoregulation which is important for maintaining normal spermatogenesis and male fertility.

Alterations in detrusor contractility in rat model of bladder cancer.

Urinary incontinence of idiopathic nature is a common complication of bladder cancer, yet, the mechanisms underlying changes in bladder contractility associated with cancer are not known. Here by using tensiometry on detrusor smooth muscle (DSM) strips from normal rats and rats with bladder cancer induced by known urothelial carcinogen, N-butyl-N-(4-hydroxybutyl)nitrosamine (BBN), we show that bladder cancer is associated with considerable changes in DSM contractility. These changes include: (1) decrease in the amplitude and frequency of spontaneous contractions, consistent with the decline of luminal pressures during filling, and detrusor underactivity; (2) diminution of parasympathetic DSM stimulation mainly at the expense of m-cholinergic excitatory transmission, suggestive of difficulty in bladder emptying and weakening of urine stream; (3) strengthening of TRPV1-dependent afferent limb of micturition reflex and TRPV1-mediated local contractility, promoting urge incontinence; (4) attenuation of stretch-dependent, TRPV4-mediated spontaneous contractility leading to overflow incontinence. These changes are consistent with the symptomatic of bladder dysfunction in bladder cancer patients. Considering that BBN-induced urothelial lesions in rodents largely resemble human urothelial lesions at least in their morphology, our studies establish for the first time underlying reasons for bladder dysfunction in bladder cancer.

Impairment of cholinergic bladder contractility in rat model of type I diabetes complicated by cystitis: Contribution of neurotransmitter-degrading ectoenzymes.

Parasympathetic regulation of urinary bladder contractions primarily involves acetylcholine release and activation of detrusor smooth muscle (DSM) muscarinic acetylcholine (mACh) receptors. Co-release of ATP and activation of DSM purinergic P2X1-receptors may participate as well in some species. Both types of neuromuscular transmission (NMT) are impaired in diabetes, however, which factors may contribute to such impairment remains poorly understood. Here by using rats with streptozotocin(STZ)-induced type I diabetes (8th week after induction) we show that contribution of atropine-sensitive m-cholinergic component to the contractions of urothelium-denuded DSM strips evoked by electric field stimulation (EFS) greatly increased when diabetic bladders presented overt signs of accompanying cystitis. Modeling of hemorrhagic cystitis alone in control rats by cyclophosphamide injection only modestly increased m-cholinergic component of EFS-contractions. However, exposure of DSM strips from control animals to acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitor, neostigmine (1-10 µM) largely reproduced alterations in EFS contractions observed in diabetic DSM complicated by cystitis. Ellman's assay revealed statistically significant 31% decrease of AChE activities in diabetic vs. control DSM. Changes in purinergic contractility of diabetic DSM were consistent with altered P2X1-receptor desensitization and re-sensitization. They could be mimicked by pharmacological inhibition of ATP-degrading ecto-ATPases with ARL 67156 (50 µM), pointing to compromised extracellular ATP clearance as underlying reason. We conclude that decreased AChE activities associated with diabetes and likely cystitis provide complementary factor to the described in literature altered expression of mACh receptor subtypes linked to diabetes as well as to cystitis to produce dramatic modification of cholinergic NMT.