Abstract
The aim of the present study was to investigate the mucus secretion status of mature goblet cells following the application of mitomycin-C (MMC) in ileal neobladder rat models. Bladder substitution models were established in Sprague Dawley rats, which had been divided into five groups, namely the control (sham), normal saline (NS), high-dose MMC (HMMC), low-dose MMC (LMMC) and dehydrated alcohol (DA) groups. To evaluate the total protein concentration and level of sialic acid following the therapy, urine from the rats in each group was collected on days 8, 11 and 14. In addition, to observe the variances between mucus secretion and the ileum goblet cells, immunohistochemistry and hematoxylin and eosin staining were conducted in the different groups on day 17. The results indicated that the ileal neobladder mucosas in the MMC groups were clearly undamaged, as compared with the DA group. Furthermore, the MMC and DA groups were shown to inhibit the proliferation of goblet cells. The concentration of protein and sialic acid in the LMMC group was found to be lower compared with the NS group, while the concentration in the HMMC group was considerably lower. In conclusion, HMMC was demonstrated to evidently reduce the mucin and sialic acid concentration in the urine, without visible damage to the ileal neobladder mucus membrane. Therefore, MMC may provide a novel therapeutic approach for the treatment of certain bladder conditions.