The role of interleukin-6/interleukin-6 receptor signaling in the mechanical stress-induced extracellular matrix remodelling of bladder smooth muscle.

In this study, we investigated the role of interleukin-6 (IL-6) on the process of mechanical stretch-induced ECM remodelling of bladder smooth muscle. To construct the bladder outlet obstruction (BOO) animal model, the female Sprague-Dawley rat's urethra was partially ligated. Besides, elevated hydrostatic pressure and mechanical stretch were applied to human bladder smooth muscle cells (HBSMCs) to mimic the in vitro model. The expression of rats' inflammatory genes was analyzed using DNA microarrays. We used the quantitative RT-PCR (qRT-PCR) and immunohistochemical staining to detect IL-6 in rats' bladder smooth muscle tissues. In order to determine the specificity of the IL-6, small interfering ribonucleic acid (siRNA) transfection and IL-6 receptor inhibitor (SC144) were applied to HBSMCs. The qRT-PCR with siRNA transfection was also used to determine the specificity of downstream. Moreover, western blotting was conducted to verify the expression results. In the animal study results, the expression of ECM components and inflammatory genes were significantly up-regulated. The expression of IL-6 was increased at both mRNA level and protein level in BOO rats. In vitro, hydrostatic pressure, and mechanical stretch both promoted the MMP7 and MMP11 expression. Additionally, the down-regulation collagen Ⅲ were both occurred in the hydrostatic pressure group and mechanical stretch group. However, the expression of fibronectin was totally opposite between hydrostatic pressure and...
Source: Archives of Biochemistry and Biophysics - Category: Biochemistry Authors: Tags: Arch Biochem Biophys Source Type: research