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Updated: Jan 22, 2026

Bladder Smooth Muscle Strip Contractility as a Method to Evaluate Lower Urinary Tract Pharmacology
Published on: August 18, 2014
Effects of Distigmine on the Mechanical Activity of Urinary Bladder Smooth Muscle
Keisuke Obara1, Yoshio Tanaka1
1Department of Chemical Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Toho University.
Abstract:
Distigmine bromide (distigmine) is a reversible carbamate cholinesterase (ChE) inhibitor. Its principle clinical application is in the treatment of myasthenia gravis. Distigmine is also used as a remedy for dysuria and glaucoma. Its effectiveness in the management of dysuria has been demonstrated in several clinical reports. Distigmine may improve (enhance) urinary bladder smooth muscle (UBSM) contraction during micturition by inhibiting acetylcholine (ACh) decomposition. However, the pharmacological effects of distigmine on UBSM have not been adequately studied so far. In this review article, we summarize the reported effects of distigmine on the contractile responses elicited by exogenous and endogenous ACh in isolated UBSM preparations. We also discuss the effects of distigmine on the UBSM basal tone and the contractile response of UBSM to ATP, which is co-released with ACh from parasympathetic nerve terminals.
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