Introduction: Painful bladder syndrome /
interstitial cystitis (PBS/IC) pathogenesis is not fully known, but evidence shows that
glycosaminoglycans (GAG) of
bladder urothelium can participate in its genesis. The loss of these compounds facilitates the contact of
urine compounds with deeper portions of
bladder wall triggering an inflammatory process. We investigated GAG in
urine and
tissue of PBS/IC and pure stress
urinary incontinence (SUI)
patients to better understand its
metabolism . Materials and
Methods: Tissue and
urine of 11
patients with PBS/IC according to
NIDDK criteria were compared to 11 SUI
patients .
Tissue samples were analyzed by histological,
immunohistochemistry and
immunofluorescence methods .
Statistical analysis were performed using t
Student test and
Anova , considering significant when p < 0.05.
Results: PBS/IC
patients had lower concentration of GAG in
urine when compared to SUI (respectively 0.45 ± 0.11 x 0.62 ± 0.13 mg/mg
creatinine , p < 0.05). However, there was no reduction of the content of GAG in the
urothelium of both groups.
Immunofluorescence showed that PBS/IC
patients had a stronger
staining of
TGF-beta ,
decorin (a
proteoglycan of
chondroitin /
dermatan sulfate ),
fibronectin and
hyaluronic acid .
Conclusion: the results suggest that GAG may be related to the ongoing process of
inflammation and
remodeling of the dysfunctional
urothelium that is present in the PBS/IC. .