The Effects of Oxytocin on Stressed Rats with Increased Urinary Frequency

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Urology
• Endocrinology

Background:

• Psychological stress is known to worsen lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS), such as urinary frequency and bladder hypersensitivity.
• The role of oxytocin (OXT) in mitigating stress-induced bladder dysfunction and its central effects remains to be fully elucidated.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effects of chronic oxytocin administration on stress-induced bladder dysfunction in female rats.
• To determine whether oxytocin modulates central stress pathways in response to chronic stress.

Main Methods:

• Female Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to repeated variable stress (RVS) for one week, with or without chronic oxytocin (OXT) treatment.
• Evaluated parameters included mechanical sensitivity, cystometry, plasma catecholamines and cortisol, bladder histology, paraventricular nucleus (PVN) c-Fos expression, and gene expression in the bladder and brain.

Main Results:

• RVS induced mechanical hypersensitivity, increased bladder activity, elevated stress hormones, and altered bladder histology and gene expression.
• Stress increased PVN activation and brainstem gene expression related to stress pathways.
• OXT treatment normalized bladder function, reduced stress hormone levels, attenuated PVN activation, and modulated gene expression in the hypothalamus and thalamus.

Conclusions:

• Chronic oxytocin administration ameliorates stress-induced urinary frequency and bladder dysfunction in rats.
• Oxytocin exerts its effects by modulating central stress pathways, rather than through direct peripheral anti-inflammatory actions.