Impact of Several Types of Stresses on Short-term Memory and Apoptosis in the Hippocampus of Rats / 대한배뇨장애요실금학회지

PURPOSE: Stress has a deteriorating effect on hippocampal function. It also contributes to symptom exacerbation in many disease states, including overactive bladder and interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome. We investigated the effects of various types of stresses (restraint, noise, and cold) on short-term memory and apoptosis in relation with corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) expression. METHODS: Rats in the restraint stress group were restrained in a transparent Plexiglas cylinder for 60 minutes twice daily. Rats in the noise stress group were exposed to the 120 dB supersonic machine sound for 60 minutes twice daily. Rats in the cold stress group were placed in a cold chamber at 4degrees C for 60 minutes twice daily. Each stress was applied for 10 days. A step-down avoidance test for short-term memory, immunohistochemistry for caspase-3 expression, and western blot analysis for Bax and Bcl-2 expressions were conducted. RESULTS: Latency time was decreased and CRF expression in the hippocampal dentate gyrus and hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus were increased in all of the stress groups. The number of caspase-3-positive cells in the hippocampal dentate gyrus was increased and the expressions of Bax and Bcl2 in the hippocampus were decreased in all of the stress groups. CONCLUSIONS: All of the stress groups experienced short-term memory impairment induced by apoptosis in the hippocampus. The present results suggest the possibility that these stresses affecting the impairment of short-term memory may also induce functional lower urinary tract disorders.

Effect of Anti-Siglec-F Antibody and Reactive Oxygen Species Blocking on Histamine Release in Urinary Bladder of Ovalbumin-Treated Mice / 대한배뇨장애요실금학회지

PURPOSE: Sialic acid-binding Ig-like lectin (Siglec) is an immune inhibitory receptor that plays a role in the negative regulation of the activation of immune cells. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of anti-Siglec-F on plasma and urinary histamine levels in ovalbumin (OVA)-challenged urinary bladder in mice. METHODS: Thirty BALB/c mice were used. In group I (control group, n=5), mice were sensitized with OVA and challenged with saline. In group II (OVA challenge group, n=5), OVA was used for intraperitoneal sensitization and intravesical challenge. The challenged mice in group III (control immunoglobulin G [IgG] group, n=5) and those in group IV (anti-Siglec-F group, n=5) were intraperitoneally pretreated with rabbit control IgG or anti-Siglec-F antibody, respectively. In groups V (N-acetylcysteine [NAC] in OVA challenge group, n=5) and VI (control NAC only, n=5), mice were pretreated with NAC. RESULTS: Urinary histamine concentrations were significantly higher 7 days after intravesical OVA challenge (P<0.01), whereas plasma histamine levels were not. Pretreatment with anti-Siglec-F antibody significantly prevented the increase in urinary histamine release (P<0.05), whereas pretreatment with the IgG antibody control did not. Also, pretreatment of the OVA challenge group with NAC did not affect the histamine concentration in either urine or plasma. CONCLUSIONS: Systemic anti-Siglec-F treatment showed anti-allergic effects at least on local histamine release, particularly in the lower urinary bladder.