Analysis of the modifications in the composition of bladder glycosaminoglycan and collagen as a consequence of changes in sex hormones associated with puberty or oophorectomy in female rats.

PURPOSE The effects of female sex hormones on rat vesical extracellular matrix were evaluated by analyzing glycosaminoglycan (GAG) and collagen composition under different hormonal conditions. MATERIALS AND METHODS Bladders were obtained from Wistar rats, including young prepubertal females at age 30 days (YF), and adult intact females (AF), adult oophorectomized females (AOF), adult males and adult sham operated females at age 120 days. Oophorectomy and sham operation were performed at age 30 days. Bladders were analyzed for total GAG and collagen concentration per mg dry tissue and for the contents of GAG species, as determined by agarose electrophoresis and reported as the percent of total sulfated GAG. RESULTS Collagen concentration in AF (54.80 +/- 4.60 microg/mg) was different from that in YF (34.52 +/- 5.29 microg/mg, p <0.001) and AOF (63.25 +/- 3.51 microg/mg, p <0.001). GAG concentration in AF (0.71 +/- 0.18 microg/mg) was different from that in YF (0.45 +/- 0.07 microg/mg, p <0.001) and males (0.46 +/- 0.10 microg/mg, p <0.001). The GAG species detected were dermatan sulfate and heparan sulfate. Dermatan sulfate content in AF (90.9% +/- 2.8%) was different from that in YF (86.6% +/- 2.4%, p <0.005), AOF (87.9% +/- 2.1%, p <0.005) and males (87.7% +/- 4.7%, p <0.005). Heparan sulfate content in AF was 9.1% +/- 2.8%, which differed from that in YF (13.4% +/- 2.4%, p <0.025) and AOF (11.2% +/- 2.9%, p <0.025). CONCLUSIONS Extracellular matrix of the female rat bladder undergoes marked remodeling during normal growth up to early adulthood with important consequences for vesical viscoelastic properties. Also, oophorectomy performed at a prepubertal age may lead to greater vesical wall stiffness.