CULTURE OF BLADDER EPITHELIUM FROM CYSTOSCOPIC BIOPSIES OF PATIENTS WITH INTERSTITIAL CYSTITIS

Interstitial cystitis is a chronic disease of unknown etiology charact erized by bladder pain and urinary frequency and urgency. The epitheli um may be critical in its pathogenesis; the hallmarks of the disease a re visible epithelial defects (Hunner's ulcers and epithelial ruptures ). Areas denuded of epithelium are commonly seen, and defects in epith elial permeability are characteristic. We report here the culture and characterization of epithelial cells from cystoscopic bladder biopsies obtained from 7 female patients with interstitial cystitis. Within 4 to 14 days cellular outgrowths appeared from explants incubated in cel l medium. Monolayers reached confluence after 6 weeks. Cells of the mo nolayer were cytokeratin-positive and smooth muscle actin-negative, co nfirming their epithelial origin. They exhibited epithelial cell ultra structure including intermediate filaments and junctional complexes. V esicles bounded by a trilaminar plasma membrane and lateral interdigit ations were also present. This is the first report of the culture of b ladder epithelium from interstitial cystitis patients. Epithelial cell s may be targets for initiating agents and inflammatory effects of int erstitial cystitis and should be useful for studies of the pathogenesi s of this disease.