Endocrine differentiation in inflamed urinary bladder epithelium with metaplastic changes.

Area of Science:

• Urology
• Gastroenterology
• Endocrinology

Background:

• Metaplasia of the bladder epithelium can occur under pathological conditions.
• Endocrine cells in the bladder epithelium are not well-characterized.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the presence and characteristics of endocrine cells in different types of bladder metaplasia.
• To determine if endocrine cells are associated with specific pathological conditions like cystitis glandularis or cystica.

Main Methods:

• Histochemical (Grimelius' silver impregnation) and immunocytochemical methods were used.
• Analysis of 65 cystitis cases, including normal epithelium, squamous metaplasia, cystitis glandularis, and cystica.
• Detection of endocrine cells using markers like protein gene product (PGP) 9.5, chromogranin, and serotonin.

Main Results:

• Endocrine cells were detected in 40 out of 50 cases of cystitis glandularis or cystica.
• These endocrine cells were positive for Grimelius' stain and immunoreactive for PGP 9.5, chromogranin, and serotonin.
• No endocrine cells were found in normal bladder epithelium or squamous metaplasia. Prominent nerve bundles were observed in 18 cases.

Conclusions:

• Endocrine cells are present in the bladder epithelium associated with cystitis glandularis or cystica.
• These cells exhibit neuroendocrine features and may be linked to nerve bundles in the subepithelial tissue.
• The presence of endocrine cells is specific to certain types of bladder metaplasia, excluding normal and squamous types.