Graduate Institute of Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan; 2Department of Urology, College of Medicine; 3Department of Urology, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan; 4Department of Anatomy, College of Medicine; 5Excellence for Environmental Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University; 6Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Kaohsiung Municipal Hsia-Kang Hospital; 7Department of Orthopedics, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital; Kaohsiung, Taiwan; and 8Albany College of Pharmacy, Albany, NY.
OBJECTIVE: A rat model of ovariectomy-induced voiding dysfunction has been established, which mimicked the urge incontinence in postmenopausal women. Previous studies have identified strong anti-inflammatory/antioxidant properties of green tea and its associated polyphenols. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the green tea extract, epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), could prevent an ovariectomy-induced overactive bladder.
METHODS: The study included 48 female Sprague-Dawley rats, which were divided into four groups. After bilateral ovariectomy during the following 6-month period, 12 rats received an intraperitoneal injection of saline, 24 rats received either a low-dose (1 μM kg d) or a high-dose (10 μM kg d) EGCG intraperitoneal injection. The sham group consisted of twelve rats that were not ovariectomized. In vivo isovolumetric cystometrograms were performed in all groups before the animals were euthanized. The immunofluorescence study used neurofilament stains to evaluate intramural nerve damage. Western immunoblots and real-time polymerase chain reaction were performed to determine M2 and M3 muscarinic cholinergic receptors (MChRs) at both protein and messenger RNA (mRNA) expressions.
RESULTS: Long-term ovariectomy significantly increased non-voiding contractions, whereas treatment with EGCG significantly attenuated the frequency of non-voiding contractions. Ovariectomy significantly decreased the numbers of neurofilament and increased M2 and M3 MChR protein and mRNA expressions. Treatment with EGCG restored the amount of neurofilament staining and decreased M2 and M3 MChR protein and mRNA overexpressions.
CONCLUSIONS: This study confirmed that ovary hormone deficiency induced overactive bladder dysfunction via intramural nerve damage and muscarinic receptor overexpression. EGCG prevented ovariectomy-induced bladder dysfunction through neuroprotective effects in a dose-dependent fashion.
Written by:
Juan YS, Chuang SM, Long CY, Chen CH, Levin RM, Liu KM, Huang CH. Are you the author?
Reference: Menopause. 2011 Oct 24. Epub ahead of print.
PubMed Abstract
PMID: 22042325
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