Vasoactive intestinal peptide in vaginal epithelium of patients with pelvic organ prolapse and stress urinary incontinence

Abstract

Objective To determine the distribution of vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) in vaginal epithelium among women with stress urinary incontinence (SUI), pelvic organ prolapse (POP), and control groups to clarify its role in the etiology of SUI and POP. Methods A total of 40 biopsy specimens from anterior and posterior vaginal epithelium were obtained from 3 groups of patients: SUI, POP, and symptomatic controls. Routine hematoxylin and eosin staining and semiquantitative immunohistochemical staining for VIP were performed. Results VIP was found in 27.5% of the specimens. In the control group, VIP expression was significantly higher in anterior than in posterior epithelium (P = 0.046). There were no significant differences in the expression of VIP in the anterior and posterior epithelium in a comparison among the 3 groups. In the POP group, the expression of VIP was negatively correlated with age and menopause status. Conclusions There is evidence that VIP is a neurotransmitter in the vaginal epithelium. The anterior vaginal wall has a more important role than the posterior vaginal wall. Change of VIP is related to age in POP patients.