Ultrastructural smooth muscle ontogeny of the rat bladder

The transmission electron microscope characteristics of developing rat bladder smooth muscle are described at 14 and 18 days of gestation, birth, and adulthood. Caveolae, microfilaments, and dense bodies increase during smooth muscle development. Collagen content in the extracellular matrix also increases. These changes may reflect increased bladder emptying in the rat, and also allow for comparison of smooth muscle cells in studies of bladder wound healing and tissue substitutes.