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Urinary Bladder

Urinary Bladder

The urinary bladder is a hollow, muscular sac that temporarily stores urine before it is expelled from the body. It can hold approximately 600 mL of urine prior to micturition. The bladder is retroperitoneal and located behind the pubic symphysis in the pelvic floor.
In males, the bladder is situated in front of the rectum, while in females, it is positioned anterior to the vagina and uterus. The bladder floor contains an inverted triangular area called the trigone, defined by the two ureteric...

Anatomy of the Genitourinary System II: Bladder and Urethra

Anatomy of the Genitourinary System II: Bladder and Urethra

The lower urinary system consists of the urinary bladder and urethra, which are essential in storing and expelling urine from the body. Together with the internal and external sphincters, these structures work together to regulate urination effectively.Anatomy of the BladderThe urinary bladder is a muscular, stretchable organ behind the pubic bone and in front of the rectum. In females, the bladder is positioned anterior to the vagina and inferior to the uterus, while in males, it is located...

The Micturition Reflex

The Micturition Reflex

Urination, or micturition involves the coordination of the bladder's detrusor muscle and two sphincters to ensure controlled bladder emptying.
The process begins with bladder filling, where the bladder wall stretches as urine accumulates. This stretching activates the urine storage reflex, mediated by the sacral spinal segments and the pontine storage center. Efferent sympathetic impulses stimulate the detrusor muscle to relax and the internal urethral sphincter to contract, facilitating...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Mar 8, 2026

Bladder Smooth Muscle Strip Contractility as a Method to Evaluate Lower Urinary Tract Pharmacology

Bladder Smooth Muscle Strip Contractility as a Method to Evaluate Lower Urinary Tract Pharmacology

Published on: August 18, 2014

Optogenetic Modulation of Urinary Bladder Contraction for Lower Urinary Tract Dysfunction.

Jae Hong Park¹, Jin Ki Hong^1,2, Ja Yun Jang^1,3

¹Center for Bionics, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Seoul, 02792, Korea.

Scientific Reports

|January 19, 2017

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Optogenetics offers precise control over bladder smooth muscle, enabling targeted bladder contractions and suppression of overactive contractions. This myogenic approach promises effective urinary tract dysfunction treatment without side effects.

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Published on: November 28, 2019

Area of Science:

Biomedical Engineering
Neuroscience
Urology

Background:

Current treatments for lower urinary tract (LUT) dysfunction lack specificity, leading to side effects.
A need exists for treatments with spatial and temporal precision for bladder control.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate optogenetic modulation of bladder smooth muscle for precise control of urinary bladder function.
To explore the potential of channelrhodopsin-2 (ChR2) and halorhodopsin (NpHR) for treating LUT dysfunctions.

Main Methods:

Delivered optogenetic proteins (ChR2, NpHR) to mouse bladder smooth muscle cells (SMCs) via Cre-loxp system or viral transfection.
Utilized blue light to activate ChR2-SMCs and yellow light to activate NpHR-SMCs.
Assessed bladder contraction and urination modulation in vivo.

Main Results:

Blue light stimulation of ChR2-SMCs induced bladder contraction.
Yellow light stimulation of NpHR-SMCs suppressed prostaglandin E2-induced overactive contractions.
Optogenetic bladder smooth muscle contraction was confirmed as myogenic, not neurogenic.
Optogenetic light stimulation successfully modulated urination in vivo.

Conclusions:

Optogenetic modulation of smooth muscle provides spatial and temporal accuracy for controlling urinary bladder contraction.
This approach offers a potential new therapy for LUT dysfunctions with enhanced efficacy and reduced side effects compared to conventional treatments.