Social stress induces changes in urinary bladder function, bladder NGF content, and generalized bladder inflammation...

Area of Science:

• Urology
• Neuroscience
• Immunology

Background:

• Social stress is linked to urinary bladder dysfunction, but mechanisms remain unclear.
• Understanding stress-induced bladder changes is crucial for human health.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effects of varying social stress levels on mouse bladder function.
• To explore the molecular mechanisms, including histamine and nerve growth factor, involved in stress-induced bladder dysfunction.

Main Methods:

• Utilized mouse models exposed to direct/indirect social stress paradigms for 2 or 4 weeks.
• Assessed bladder function through micturition interval, bladder capacity, and nonvoiding contractions.
• Quantified protein expression of histamine and nerve growth factor using ELISAs.

Main Results:

• Moderate stress increased urinary frequency and decreased bladder capacity.
• Elevated stress paradoxically increased bladder capacity and intermicturition intervals.
• Histamine levels rose with moderate stress, while both histamine and nerve growth factor increased with elevated stress.

Conclusions:

• Social stress-induced bladder dysfunction is context and duration-dependent.
• Histamine and nerve growth factor alterations in the bladder may contribute to functional changes.
• The inflammatory milieu of the bladder plays a role in social stress-induced urinary dysfunction.