To investigate the therapeutic effect and underlying molecular mechanism of electrical stimulation (ES) in a murine SUI model.
Sixty female C57BL/6 mice were divided into four groups: CON group, no intervention; VD group, vaginal distension (VD) with an 8-mm dilator for 1 h; VD+ES 20 group, 20 Hz ES for 0. 5 h for 7 days after VD; VD+ES 50 group, 50 Hz ES for 7 days after VD. For functional studies, assessments of urodynamics and sneezing test were performed; then, anterior vaginal wall specimens were collected. Pathological changes were validated by Masson's and VG staining, and the expression of collagen, TGFβ1-Smad2/3 pathway components and T-type calcium channels were detected by Western blotting and RT-PCR.
ES significantly increased MBC, LPP and sneezing positive rate in SUI mice. The staining results showed that collagen was disorganized in VD group but became organized after ES, especially at 50 Hz. The same results were found for collagen I and III. The expression of TGF-β1, p-Smad2 and p-Smad3 significantly decreased in VD group and significantly increased in VD+ES groups, especially VD+ES 50 group. The expression of two T-type calcium channel subtypes (Cav 3.1 and Cav 3.2) decreased in VD group compared with CON group but increased in VD+ES group compared with VD group.
Dysregulation of collagen metabolism is involved in the pathogenesis of SUI. ES can ameliorate the symptoms of SUI by activating collagen regeneration through the TGFβ1-Smad2/3 pathway. T-type calcium channels might be involved in these processes.
Urology. 2017 Feb 07 [Epub ahead of print]
Jie Min, Bingshu Li, Cheng Liu, Shasha Hong, Jianming Tang, Ming Hu, Yaodan Liu, Suting Li, Li Hong
Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei 430060, P. R. China., Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei 430060, P. R. China. Electronic address: .