URINARY BLADDER

FUNCTIONAL PHARMACOLOGY ASSAYS

• Overactive Bladder (OAB)
• Neurogenic bladder

• Human and animal (rat, mouse, guinea-pig, rabbit, dog, others upon request)

• Urinary bladder smooth muscle (detrusor)
• Urothelium

• Muscarinic receptors
• Adrenoceptors (α1, α3, ...)
• Purinergic receptors (P2X and P2Y)
• Transient Receptor Potential (TRPV1, TRPA1, TRPM8)
• Tachykinin receptors
• Serotonin and Dopamine receptors
• Ion channels: K⁺ channel openers
• Phosphodiesterases
   

Human bladder samples are obtained from patients undergoing total cystectomy due to bladder carcinoma. Bladder smooth muscle is cut into small strips and mounted under 1 g initial tension in 5 ml organ baths containing oxygenated Krebs-Henseleit solution.

Contractile responses are measured using isometric tension transducers and recorded using a data acquisition system. A reference contraction to 80 mM KCl is performed on each strip.

Tissues are stimulated for 30 min by electrical field stimulation (EFS) until stable contractions are achieved. Then, cumulative concentrations of test substance are applied to obtain a concentration-response curve (CRC).
 

• Lluel P et al, Fund Clin Pharmacol 17: 633-41, 2003
• Palea S et al, BJU Int 94: 1125-31, 2004