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Bladder outlet obstruction in male cystinuria mice

International Urology and Nephrology volume 42, pages 57–63 (2010)Cite this article

Abstract

Background

Cystinuria is the most common inherited cause of urinary tract stones in children. It can lead to obstructive uropathy, which is a major cause of renal failure. Genetic studies have identified two genes, SLC3A1 and SLC7A9, to be directly involved in cystine stone formation. Slc3a1 knockout male mice develop cystine stones in the bladder and, to a lesser extent, in the kidney. Slc3a1 knockout female mice also develop cystinuria, but they do not form stones. The specific aim of this study was to characterize bladder function in cystinuria mice.

Methods

Eight control (4 male, 4 female) and 16 Slc3a1 knockout (9 male, 7 female) mice of mixed strain background (C57B/129, age 4–5 months) were evaluated. Each mouse was anesthetized and the bladder dome catheterized for cystometry. Immediately following cystometry, the bladder was excised, weighed, and separated into three full thickness strips for contractile studies.

Results

Bladders from cystinuria male mice had significantly increased weight, all of them had stones, decreased compliance, and decreased contractile responses to field stimulation, ATP, carbachol, and KCl. Compared with controls, female knockout mice showed normal bladder weight, decreased voiding pressure, slightly decreased compliance, and slightly decreased contractile responses.

Conclusions

These studies clearly demonstrate that the bladder stones that developed in the male cystinuria mice resulted in a partial outlet obstruction. Although the female cystinuria mice did not have bladder stones, bladder function was mildly impaired; presumably by the presence of cystine crystals.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported in part by the Office of Research and Development Medical Research Service, Department of Veterans Affairs; and in part by the Capital Region Medical Research Foundation.

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Affiliations

  1. Department of Surgery, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ, USA

    Mathew Ercolani & Joseph G. Barone

  2. Department of Genetics, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, USA

    Amrik Sahota, Min Yang & Jay A. Tischfield

  3. Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, 106 New Scotland Avenue, Albany, NY, 12208, USA

    Catherine Schuler & Robert M. Levin

  4. Stratton VA Medical Center, Albany, NY, USA

    Catherine Schuler & Robert M. Levin

  5. Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA

    Andrew P. Evan

  6. Laboratory Animal Services, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, USA

    David Reimer

Authors
  1. Mathew Ercolani
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  2. Amrik Sahota
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  3. Catherine Schuler
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  4. Min Yang
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  5. Andrew P. Evan
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  7. Joseph G. Barone
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  8. Jay A. Tischfield
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  9. Robert M. Levin
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Correspondence to Robert M. Levin.

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Ercolani, M., Sahota, A., Schuler, C. et al. Bladder outlet obstruction in male cystinuria mice. Int Urol Nephrol 42, 57–63 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11255-009-9597-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11255-009-9597-y

Keywords

  • Bladder
  • Cystinuria
  • Stones
  • Mouse
  • Obstruction