Eighteen male-adult Sprague-Dawley rats were equally divided into group 1 (
sham control), group 2 (AIC induced by 150 mg/kg CYP by intra-peritoneal injection) and group 3 (AIC + ECSW 200 impulses at 0.11 mJ/mm(2) to the urinary bladder at 3 and 24 h after CYP treatment). Smooth-muscle cells co-culture with
menadione (25 µM) with and without ECSW treatment was performed. Western-blot results demonstrated that ECSW significant attenuated oxidative stress and inflammatory reactions in this in-vitro studies (all p < 0.001). 24-hour urine amount and microscopic findings of red-blood-cell count (i.e.,
hematuria) were higher in group 2 than in groups 1 and 3, and significantly higher in group 3 than in group 1 (all p < 0.001). The urine levels of
albumin and
interleukin-6 showed an identical pattern of
hematuria among all three groups (all p < 0.001). The cellular and
mRNA expressions of
macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF)+, CD74+, CD68+,
substance p+, and Cox-2+ cells in the bladder tissue exhibited an identical pattern of
hematuria among all groups (all p < 0.0001). The integrity of epithelial layer and
collagen-deposition area as stained by Sirius red displayed an opposite pattern of
hematuria among the three groups (p < 0.0001). The
protein expression of
IL-12, iNOS, TNF-α, NF-κB, MMP-9, NOX-1, NOX-2,
RANTES, and Oxyblot displayed an identical pattern of
hematuria among all groups (all p < 0.01).
CONCLUSION: