Induced diabetic neurogenic bladder animal models: application characteristics and standardization proposals via...

Diabetic Neurogenic Bladder (DNB) is a prevalent urological disorder and autonomic nervous system complication associated with diabetes mellitus. This condition may lead to severe renal damage if not properly managed. Despite its clinical significance, there is a lack of unified standards for current DNB animal models, and previous review articles fail to provide sufficient objective data to support their conclusions.

The present study aims to systematically summarize the characteristics of DNB animal models through data mining techniques, thereby offering a theoretical reference for the establishment of standardized DNB animal models.

Relevant studies were searched in 7 databases including PubMed and CNKI. After screening in accordance with the PRISMA flow diagram, a total of 352 eligible studies were included in the analysis. The SYRCLE tool was employed for quality assessment of the included studies, while SPSS Modeler (utilizing the Apriori algorithm) and R software were used for statistical analysis and result visualization.

SD rats, Wistar rats, and C57BL/6 mice were identified as the primary animal species used for constructing DNB models, with male animals accounting for 82.39% of the total. Chemical induction (predominantly streptozotocin, STZ; 74.15%) and combined induction with STZ plus a high-sugar and high-fat diet (13.64%) were the mainstream modeling methods. The most commonly used STZ dose was 60 mg/kg (administered as a single injection), and the typical modeling cycle was 8 weeks. The core criteria for successful modeling were the combined detection of blood glucose, urodynamics, and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c). However, existing studies exhibited certain biases, such as insufficient blinding procedures. The characteristics of detection indicators were centered on a dual core of "basic pathological changes of diabetes mellitus + local bladder lesions," involving mechanisms including inflammation, oxidative stress, fibrosis, neuroinjury, and cell death.

This study clarifies the current application status of DNB animal models, addressing the research gap existing in previous review articles. Future research should focus on optimizing modeling protocols, promoting the application of non-invasive detection indicators, and enhancing the standardized reporting of study details.