Urothelial health after platelet-rich plasma injection in intractable recurrent urinary tract infection: Improved cell proliferation, cytoskeleton, and barrier function protein expression.

OBJECTIVE: This clinical study used autologous intravesical platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections to treat patients with recurrent urinary tract infection (rUTI). Changes in urothelial proliferation, cytoskeleton, and barrier function protein expression after treatment were investigated. MATERIALS: All patients underwent 4-monthly intravesical PRP injections with 1-year follow-up. Successful treatment was defined as ≤2 UTI episodes within the preceding 1 year. Bladder biopsies were performed at the first and fourth PRP injection, and specimens were investigated by Western blot for the proteins sonic hedgehog (Shh), CD34, cytokeratin 5 (CK5), CK14, CK20, zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1), E-cadherin, inflammatory proteins tryptase and p38, apoptotic protein BAX (BCL2-associated X protein) and caspase-3, functional proteins M2 (muscarinic receptor 2) and M3, and beta-adrenoceptor-3, with glyceraldehyde phosphate dehydrogenase used as normalizing protein for quantification. RESULTS: The study enrolled 22 patients with rUTI and 17 controls, with successful outcome in 14 of 22 (63.6%) patients. Compared with controls, Western blot quantification results showed that rUTI patients had lower CD34, CK20, M3, and ZO-1, but higher CK5, BAX, and caspase-3 at baseline. The reduced CD34, CK20, M2, and M3 expressions at baseline were significantly increased after repeat PRP injections. Patients with a successful outcome had significant increase of CD34, Shh, CK20, M2, and M3 expressions after PRP injections. CONCLUSION: Intravesical PRP repeat injections improve the urothelial cell proliferation and increase the CK 20 expression in umbrella cells. PRP repeat injections have a beneficial effect on bladder urothelium-associated changes in rUTI. Thus, PRP injection may restore urothelial health and prevent UTI recurrence in intractable rUTI.