A pilot study of Connexin 43 (Cx43) in human bladder tissue in patients with idiopathic detrusor overactivity

OBJECTIVE: Aim of the study was to compare Connexin 43 (Cx43) in human bladder tissue of urodynamically proven idiopathic detrusor overactivity to those of urodynamically stable bladders. STUDY DESIGN: We compared bladder biopsies of patients with detrusor overactivity and those with stable bladder analysing Cx43 message by RNA extraction and PCR amplification. All patients had multichannel urodynamics prior to the biopsies. RESULTS: We investigated the bladder biopsies of 15 female patients with and 15 patients without detrusor overactivity. Cx43 could be detected in nine patients of the detrusor overactivity group and in eight patients of the control group which was not statistically significant. 42 cycles of PCR were necessary to demonstrate Cx43 presence in the positive specimen. The presence of Cx43 was not consistent in the samples from the bladder dome and the side walls meaning there were Cx43 positive results in the dome and negative ones in the side walls of the same patient and vice versa. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, Cx43 is present in human bladder tissue both of overactive bladders and those of controls. However, it is expressed in very small amounts and is not always detectable. The role of Cx43 for the origin of detrusor overactivity remains unclear.

Immunohistochemical localization and quantitative assessment of GnRH-, FSH-, and LH-receptor mRNA Expression in canine skin: a powerful tool to study the pathogenesis of side effects after spaying

It has been proposed that gonadotropins and/or gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) could be involved in the pathophysiology of the side effects after spaying in bitches, such as urinary incontinence and an increased production of a woolly undercoat. In order to provide tools to investigate the role of these hormones in dogs we developed immunohistochemical techniques and real-time RT-PCR to study whether GnRH-, LH-, and FSH-receptors exist in canine skin and urinary bladder. Tissue samples from the skin of the flank region and the ventral midline of the urinary bladder from euthanised dogs were examined. We were able to quantify mRNA expression of GnRH-, FSH-, and LH-receptors in canine skin and bladder biopsies with a high primer efficacy. Immunohistochemical studies showed that GnRH-, FSH-, and LH-receptors are expressed in vessel walls, the epidermis, the hair follicle and in sebaceous and sweat glands in canine skin and in transitional epithelium, and smooth muscle tissue in the urinary bladder. Our data provide the fundamentals to examine the distribution of FSH-, LH-, and GnRH-receptors in canine skin and urinary bladder and to assess gene activity at the transcriptional level by real-time RT-PCR.