Cholinergic modulation of spontaneous activity in bladder strips from the diabetic rat : effect of the mucosa.

Spontaneous contractions (SCs) have been shown to be increased in the overactive bladder and animal models of detrusor overactivity and may underlie the abnormal increases in intravesical pressure which lead to urgency, frequency and urge incontinence. We have previously shown increased SCs in bladder strips from a diabetic rat model. It has been suggested that SCs may be enhanced by leakage of small amounts of acetylcholine from intramural nerves (1). The aim was to study cholinergic modulation of SCs in bladder strips from streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats and the role of the mucosa.