Bladder Dysfunction in an Obese Zucker Rat: The Role of TRPA1 Channels, Oxidative Stress, and Hydrogen Sulfide

Figure 1

Similar TRPV1 expression in bladders from the LZR and OZR. TRPV1 expression in representative detrusor muscle transverse sections from a total of 5–6 lean (LZR) and obese (OZR) Zucker rat bladders. Detrusor overall innervation was visualized using the general nerve marker PGP 9.5 (green areas) (a and e). Bladder TRPV1 channel immunofluorescence from the LZR (b) and OZR (f) reveals immunopositive nerve trunks (red areas), running parallel to the smooth muscle bundles. Same fields (a, b, e, and f). Immunofluorescence double labelling for the PGP 9.5 and TRPV1 channel in the smooth muscle, demonstrating neuronal colocalization (yellow areas) (c and g). Cell nuclei were counterstained with DAPI (blue areas) (d and h). Scale bars indicate 25 μm. Negative controls showing the lack of immunoreactivity in sections incubated in the absence of the primary antibody (i and j) (). Comparison of fluorescence density of nerve fibers and TRPV1 in the LZR and OZR, by using ImageJ, showing a similar expression of TRPV1 in nerve fibers of the LZR and OZR bladders (k). Western blot of detrusor smooth muscle membranes from the 5 LZR and OZR incubated with the TRPV1 antibody showing a 100 kDa major band, which corresponded to the expected molecular weight, suggesting there is no significant changes of TRPV1 protein expression in the LZR and OZR bladders (l). vs. the LZR value, unpaired Student’s -test.