Can intraurethral stimulation inhibit micturition reflex in normal female rats?

Abstract

Objective The study was designed to determine the effect of low frequency (2.5Hz) intraurethral electrical stimulation on bladder capacity and maximum voiding pressures.Materials and Methods The experiments were conducted in 15 virgin female Sprague-Dawley rats (220–250g). The animals were anesthetized by intraperitoneal injection of urethane (1.5g/kg). Animal care and experimental procedures were reviewed and approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee of Antwerp University (code: 2013-50). Unipolar square pulses of 0.06mA were used to stimulate urethra at frequency of 2.5Hz (0.2ms pulse width) in order to evaluate the ability of intraurethral stimulation to inhibit bladder contractions. Continuous stimulation and intermittent stimulation with 5sec ‘‘on’’ and 5sec ‘‘off’’ duty cycle were applied during repeated saline cystometrograms (CMGs). Maximum voiding pressures (MVP) and bladder capacity were investigated to determine the inhibitory effect on bladder contraction induced by intraurethral stimulation.Results The continuous stimulation and intermittent stimulation significantly (p<0.05) decreased MVP and increased bladder capacity. There was no significant difference in MVP and bladder capacity between continuous and intermittent stimulation group.Conclusions The present results suggest that 2.5Hz continuous and intermittent intraurethral stimulation can inhibit micturition reflex, decrease MVP and increase bladder capacity. There was no significant difference in MVP and bladder capacity between continuous and intermittent stimulation group.

Clarification of the Innervation of the Bladder, External Urethral Sphincter and Clitoris: A Neuronal Tracing Study in Female Mongrel Hound Dogs

“…Regarding the clitoris, we observed sensory innervation from L7 and S1 SG, input from S1 sympathetic trunk ganglia, direct inputs from intermediolateral regions of L7‐S1 spinal cord segments, a very small contingent from the caudal mesenteric ganglia, but no input from pelvic plexus ganglia in mesenteries collected near the bladder wall and ureter. In rats, electrophysiological methods show that both pudendal and hypogastric nerves carry afferents from the clitoris (Yu et al, ). Similarly, we previously observed that nerves to the clitoris branched only from pudendal nerves (Gomez‐Amaya et al, ).…”