Long-term tadalafil administration can prevent functional and structural changes of the urinary bladder in male rats with partial bladder outlet obstruction.

AIMS: There have been few reports on whether long-term oral phosphodiesterase 5 inhibitor administration can ameliorate bladder changes due to bladder outlet obstruction (BOO). Therefore, we clarified the chronological changes of the bladder using male BOO rats and evaluated the effects of tadalafil on these changes.

METHODS

Eight-week-old male Sprague-Dawley rats were used. BOO was created by placing a polyethylene catheter around the urethra. Then, the rats were orally treated with a vehicle, or tadalafil 2 or 10 mg/kg until each evaluation period. Cystometric measurements were performed and the degree of fibrosis in the smooth muscle layer was evaluated at 2, 4, and 16 weeks.

RESULTS

In BOO rats, a significant increase in the number of non-voiding contractions (NVCs) and a shortened intercontraction interval (ICI) were observed in the earlier phase (2 and 4 weeks) compared to Sham rats. In the chronic phase (16 weeks), markedly increased residual urine volume and an extended ICI were observed accompanied by enhanced smooth muscle fibrosis. These results indicated that the bladder in BOO rats represented the overactive phenotype in the earlier phase and changed into the underactive phenotype in the chronic phase. Even in Sham rats, an increased number of NVCs and enhanced fibrosis were observed with time. Tadalafil administration significantly prevented these bladder changes in both BOO and Sham rats.

CONCLUSIONS

Long-term oral administration of tadalafil can prevent functional and histological changes in the BOO rat bladder. This agent is also effective for the bladder functional change even in non-obstructed rats.