Changes in uroplakin expression in the urothelium of patients with ulcerative interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome.

We evaluated changes in the expression of uroplakin (UP) in the urothelium of patients with ulcerative interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS).

Bladder samples were collected from 19 patients with ulcerative IC/BPS who were treated with augmentation ileocystoplasty and from 5 control patients. Frequency-volume charts, the pain visual analogue scale (VAS), and the O'Leary-Sant interstitial cystitis symptom index (ICSI) and problem index (ICPI) were used to evaluate the patients' symptoms preoperatively. The expression levels of UP-Ib and UP-III in the urothelium were compared between the IC/BPS patients and control patients.

Sixteen women and three men with IC/BPS were evaluated. Their values for preoperative mean voiding frequency, number of nocturia episodes, and functional bladder capacity as recorded in frequency-volume charts were 21.1±12.8, 5.9±4.2, and 151.1±62.7 mL, respectively. The mean pain VAS, ICSI, and ICPI scores were 8.4±1.3, 17.7±2.2, and 14.7±1.8, respectively. Immunofluorescence staining showed that UP-Ib and UP-III were localized in the urothelium. Upon Western blot analysis, the expression of UP-III was significantly increased in the IC/BPS group compared with the control group. However, expression of UP-Ib did not differ significantly between the IC/BPS and control groups.

UP-III was significantly upregulated in patients with ulcerative IC/BPS. UP-III is a potential biomarker for the diagnosis of ulcerative IC/BPS.

Investigative and clinical urology. 2020 Apr 20 [Epub]

Kang Jun Cho, Kyu-Sung Lee, Jin Bong Choi, Jun Sung Koh, Joon Chul Kim

Department of Urology, Bucheon St. Mary's Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Korea., Department of Urology, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.