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Glycosaminoglycans on the surface of the human urothelium: A preliminary report
Author(s) -
HolmBentzen Merete,
Ammitzbøll Thorkil,
Hald Tage
Publication year - 1986
Publication title -
neurourology and urodynamics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.918
H-Index - 90
eISSN - 1520-6777
pISSN - 0733-2467
DOI - 10.1002/nau.1930050602
Subject(s) - urothelium , glycosaminoglycan , medicine , coat , urinary bladder , interstitial cystitis , pathogenesis , pathology , urinary system , urology , anatomy , biology , paleontology
Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) are thought to be present in the mucous surface coat of the human urinary bladder and to play a role in the environmental adaptation of the bladder urothelium. A defective mucous surface coat might be involved in the pathogenesis of painful bladder disease (interstitial cystitis) of unknown etiology. By a new cystoscopic scraping method for obtaining the mucous surface coat of the bladder, we investigated four painful bladder patients and three controls (prostatic hypertrophy). Electrophoretic analysis of the surface coat revealed differences in the biochemical GAG‐composition of the surface coat between patients and controls. This preliminary study suggests the existence of GAGs in the mucous surface coat of the bladder and suggests that qualitative differences in the GAG composition might play a role in painful bladder disease.