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Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine >

2025 , Vol. 45 >Issue 2: 348 - 358

DOI: https://doi.org/10.19852/j.cnki.jtcm.2025.02.003

Original articles

Electroacupuncture improves cyclophosphamide-induced bladder overactivity by reducing mechanotransduction in the rat urothelium

  • Junwei HU ,
  • Jiwei FENG ,
  • Wen LI ,
  • Lumin LIU ,
  • Xu LI ,
  • Ge XU ,
  • Jiandang LIU ,
  • Yuelai CHEN
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  • 1 Longhua Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 200032, China
    2 Department of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Shanghai Seventh People's Hospital, Shanghai 200137, China
    3 Teaching and Experimental Center, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 201203, China
    4 Graduate School, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 201203, China

Received date: 2023-12-22

  Accepted date: 2024-04-19

  Online published: 2025-03-10

Supported by

Natural Science Foundation-funded Project: Research on the Effect of Acupuncture in Regulating Bladder Excitability based on the Generation and Transmission of Afferent Information from Urinary Control(82174516);Investigation into the Mechanism of Acupuncture-regulated Bladder Excitability based on Sensory Nerve Mechanotransduction Signaling(82474645)

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Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether electroacupuncture (EA) therapy for overactive bladder (OAB) exerts its effect by modulating mechanosensitive channels in the urothelium, thereby improving bladder sensory function.

METHODS: In this study, a rat model of OAB was created by using intraperitoneal injections of cyclophosphamide. We performed either EA or bladder perfusion with HC-067047 [a transient receptor potential vanilloid 4 (TRPV4) antagonist] and assessed the efficacy of electro-acupuncture in the treatment of OAB in rats viaurodynamic determination and Void spot assay. tissue morphology, distribution and expression of the TRPV4 protein and the amount of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and Ca2+ released from urothelial cells in each group of rats were observed to identify the mechanism by which electroacupuncture improves OAB in rats.

RESULTS: EA ameliorated bladder function and voiding behaviour, improved bladder uroepithelial tissue morphology, and significantly reduced the immun-ofluorescence intensity and the mRNA and protein expression levels of TRPV4 in the uroepithelium of OAB rats. Moreover, the simulated mechanical stimulation-induced increases in Ca2+ concentration and the release of ATP and acetylcholine (Ach) from bladder urothelial cells were inhibited. The changes in EA followed the same trend as those in HC-067047.

CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that EA inhibits bladder sensory function by downregulating the expression of mechanically activated TRPV4 ion channels distributed in bladder urothelial cells, which correspondingly decreases the inward flow of extracellular Ca2+ and reduces the release of ATP and Ach, thereby attenuating excitatory signals.

Key words： electroacupuncture; urinary bladder, overactive; urothelium; TRPV cation channels; mechanotransduction, cellular

Cite this article

Junwei HU , Jiwei FENG , Wen LI , Lumin LIU , Xu LI , Ge XU , Jiandang LIU , Yuelai CHEN . Electroacupuncture improves cyclophosphamide-induced bladder overactivity by reducing mechanotransduction in the rat urothelium[J]. Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 2025 , 45(2) : 348 -358 . DOI: 10.19852/j.cnki.jtcm.2025.02.003

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