You have accessJournal of UrologyUrodynamics/Incontinence/Female Urology: Female Urology (II)1 Apr 20131844 EFFECTS OF MULTIPLE SIMULATED BIRTH TRAUMA INJURIES ON URETHRAL CONTINENCE REFLEXES IN RATS Satoru Yoshikawa, Yasuhiro Sumino, Takeya Kitta, Minoru Miyazato, and Naoki Yoshimura Satoru YoshikawaSatoru Yoshikawa Pittsburgh, PA More articles by this author , Yasuhiro SuminoYasuhiro Sumino Pittsburgh, PA More articles by this author , Takeya KittaTakeya Kitta Pittsburgh, PA More articles by this author , Minoru MiyazatoMinoru Miyazato Pittsburgh, PA More articles by this author , and Naoki YoshimuraNaoki Yoshimura Pittsburgh, PA More articles by this author View All Author Informationhttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.juro.2013.02.2263AboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints ShareFacebookTwitterLinked InEmail INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES Stress urinary incontinence (SUI) is defined as involuntary leakage of urine under abdominal stress conditions such as sneezing. Childbirth is a major risk factor for SUI because vaginal child delivery can damage the urethral smooth muscle, external urethral sphincter and pelvic floor structures. It is well known that stimulated birth trauma with vaginal distention (VD) induces SUI condition in rats, which can be restored within 2 weeks; but, less information is known about the effect of multiple VDs on the urethral function. In this study, thus, we examined the effect of multiple VDs on urethral function in vivo and gene expressions of several molecules in the urethra. METHODS Female SD rats were divided into 3 groups; control (sham), VD-1 group (one VD 2 weeks before assays), and VD-3 group (total 3 times VDs every 2 weeks). VD was performed with an inflated balloon catheter in the vagina for 4 hours under anesthesia. Two weeks after the final VD (or sham), LPP (intravesical pressure clamp method) or sneeze induced urethral closure reflex (s-UCR) was evaluated. Also, changes in mRNA levels for cytokines/receptors, collagens, MMPs and TIMPs in the urethra were quantified with RT-PCR. RESULTS VD-1 group did not show any change in LPP, but, VD-3 group showed a significant decrease in LPP, with approximately 27.4% reduction, compared to control (Fig. 1). In s-UCR, VD-1 group showed a tendency to decrease the amplitudes of urethral responses during sneezing (A-URS), but without statistical significance compared to control (Fig. 1). However, VD-3 group showed significant decreases in urethral basal pressure and A-URS compared to control (Fig. 1); and also showed incontinence episodes during sneezing (43.5%). In molecular assay, mRNAs of TNF receptors, TGF1β, collagens were significantly increased in VD-1 and -3 groups; while mRNAs of IL-6 and MMP-9 were significantly increased additionally in VD-3 group. CONCLUSIONS These data indicate that multiple birth trauma injuries aggravate the deficiency of continence reflexes, which are known to be induced by hypogastric and pudendal nerve activation and that, besides the nerve damage, changes in expression of some cytokines, extracellular matrix molecules and proteases may be involved in the process of childbirth-related SUI. © 2013 by American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc.FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Volume 189Issue 4SApril 2013Page: e757 Advertisement Copyright & Permissions© 2013 by American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc.MetricsAuthor Information Satoru Yoshikawa Pittsburgh, PA More articles by this author Yasuhiro Sumino Pittsburgh, PA More articles by this author Takeya Kitta Pittsburgh, PA More articles by this author Minoru Miyazato Pittsburgh, PA More articles by this author Naoki Yoshimura Pittsburgh, PA More articles by this author Expand All Advertisement Advertisement PDF downloadLoading ...