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Selective type IV collagen defects in the urothelial basement membrane in interstitial cystitis
C B Wilson1, J Leopard, R M Nakamura
1Department of Immunology, Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California 92037-1093, USA.
Purpose:
The study sought to identify changes in the urothelial basement membrane (UBM) associated with interstitial cystitis (IC).
Materials And Methods:
Immunohistochemical assessment of bladder biopsies from IC patients and controls was compared with clinical and histologic findings.
Results:
Selective decreases or loss of type IV collagen staining, but not laminin, were found in the UBM of 5 of 11 IC patients with no change in type IV collagen staining of other bladder wall sites.
Conclusions:
The loss of type IV collagen may represent a primary or secondary event and could alter the UBM's role in permeability, thereby contributing to the pathogenesis of IC in the subset of IC patients exhibiting this change.