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Short‐Term Flavoxate Treatment Alters Detrusor Contractility Characteristics: Renewed Interest in Clinical Use?
Author(s) -
TANG Hong C.,
LAM Wai P.,
ZHANG Xin,
LEUNG Ping C.,
YEW David T.,
LIANG Willmann
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
luts: lower urinary tract symptoms
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.451
H-Index - 15
eISSN - 1757-5672
pISSN - 1757-5664
DOI - 10.1111/luts.12063
Subject(s) - carbachol , contractility , medicine , muscle contraction , contraction (grammar) , endocrinology , stimulation
Objectives Flavoxate has had a long history of use in the treatment of overactive bladder, despite the lack of documentation on its clinical efficacy and mechanism(s) of action. This study was conducted to understand how contractility characteristics of the detrusor are affected after a short period of flavoxate treatment. Methods Eight‐week‐old mice were treated with flavoxate for 5 days and detrusor contractile responses were examined ex vivo under different pharmacological and electrical stimuli. Results K + ‐Krebs'‐induced contraction developed more slowly while 64 Hz electrical field stimulation‐induced contraction developed faster in flavoxate‐treated strips when compared to control. Amplitudes of maximal and steady‐state contraction induced by 3 µmol/L carbachol were also larger after flavoxate treatment. Control strips showed an overall greater dependence on stimulus strength in eliciting the responses. Conclusions These findings provided new information of how short‐term flavoxate treatment altered contractility characteristics at the bladder level, which may instill new interest in investigating the use of this drug in bladder disorders not responding well to conventional treatments.