New Kid on the Block: The Efficacy of Phytomedicine Extracts Urox® in Reducing Overactive Bladder Symptoms in Rats

Łukasz Zapała; Kajetan Juszczak; Przemysław Adamczyk; Jan Adamowicz; Aleksander Ślusarczyk; Tomasz Kluz; Marcin Misiek; Artur Rogowski; Magdalena Emilia Grzybowska; Klaudia Stangel-Wójcikiewicz; Mikołaj Piotr Zaborowski; Ewa Poleszak; Piotr Radziszewski; Andrzej Wróbel

doi:10.3389/fmolb.2022.896624

New Kid on the Block: The Efficacy of Phytomedicine Extracts Urox^® in Reducing Overactive Bladder Symptoms in Rats

Front Mol Biosci. 2022 Jun 21:9:896624. doi: 10.3389/fmolb.2022.896624. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Clinic of General, Oncological and Functional Urology, Medical University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland.
² Chair of Urology and Andrology, Collegium Medicum in Bydgoszcz, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Torun, Bydgoszcz, Poland.
³ Department of General and Oncologic Urology, Nicolaus Copernicus Hospital, Torun, Poland.
⁴ Clinic of General and Oncologic Urology, Collegium Medicum of Nicolaus Copernicus University, Bydgoszcz, Poland.
⁵ Department of Gynecology, Gynecological Oncology and Obstetrics, Institute of Medical Sciences, Medical College of Rzeszow University, Rzeszow, Poland.
⁶ Department of Gynecologic Oncology, Holy Cross Cancer Center, Kielce, Poland.
⁷ Department of Minimally Invasive and Endoscopic Gynecology, Military Institute of Medicine, Legionowo Hospital, Legionowo, Poland.
⁸ Department of Gynecology, Gynecological Oncology and Gynecological Endocrinology, Medical University of Gdansk, Gdansk, Poland.
⁹ Department of Gynecology and Oncology, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Cracow, Poland.
¹⁰ Department of Gynecology, Obstetrics and Gynecologic Oncology, Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Poznań, Poland.
¹¹ Laboratory of Preclinical Testing, Chair and Department of Applied and Social Pharmacy, Medical University of Lublin, Lublin, Poland.
¹² Second Department of Gynecology, Medical University of Lublin, Lublin, Poland.

Abstract

The aim of the current study was to determine if phytomedicine (Urox^®) would reverse retinyl acetate (RA)-induced changes characteristic of bladder overactivity. There were 60 rats divided into the following 4 groups: I-control, II-received RA to induce detrusor overactivity (DO), III-received Urox (840 mg daily for 14 days), and IV-received combination of RA and Urox^®. The cystometry was performed 2 days after the last dose of Urox^®. Next, urothelium thickness and biochemical parameter measurements were performed. In group IV, a decrease in basal pressure and detrusor overactivity index was noted when compared to group II. Furthermore, in group IV the following parameters were increased: threshold pressure, voided volume, intercontraction interval, and bladder compliance in comparison with group II. There were significant elevations in c-Fos expression in the neuronal voiding centers in group II, while the expression of c-Fos in group IV was normalized. No significant changes in the values of the analyzed biomarkers in group III were found, while in group II, an elevation in BDNF, NGF, CGRP, ATP, Rho kinase, malondialdehyde, 3-nitrotyrosine, TRPV1, OCT-3, and VAChT and then a decrease in E-cadherin and Z01 were found. A successful restoration of all the abovementioned biomarkers' levels was observed in group IV. Phytomedicine extracts (Urox^®) were found to be potent in reversing RA-induced changes in several cystometric and biochemical parameters that are determinants of overactive bladder (OAB). The actions of Urox^® were proved to be dependent on several factors, such as growth factors and several OAB biomarkers but not pro-inflammatory cytokines.

Keywords: Urox; biomarkers; herbal drugs; overactive bladder; phytomedicine.