Yonago Acta medica 2002;45:9–18

Effects of L-Arginine on Bladder Function in Bladder Outlet-Obstructed
Rats
Masashi Honda
Department of Urology, Tottori University Faculty of Medicine, Yonago 683-8504 Japan
Nitric oxide (NO) is thought to play an important role in the lower urinary tract. We
therefore studied the effects of NO on bladder function in bladder outlet-obstructed
rats. Twelve-week-old female Wistar rats had their bladder outlets partially obstructedby ligating the urethra over which a catheter was placed. Micturition parameters andurodynamic parameters were measured in 6 groups of rats: Group I, 1 week after
sham operation; Group II, 1 week after surgical induction of bladder outlet obstruction;
Group III, 150-mg/kg/day L-arginine injected intraperitoneally for 1 week after surgicalinduction of bladder outlet obstruction; Group IV, 6 weeks after sham operation; GroupV, 6 weeks after surgical induction of bladder outlet obstruction and Group VI, 150mg/kg/day L-arginine injected intraperitoneally for 6 weeks after surgical induction of
bladder outlet obstruction. Moreover, the area density of smooth muscle versus
connective tissue was determined in bladder specimens using color assisted computer
image analysis in these groups. The number of micturitions per day of the 1- and 6week obstructed rats significantly increased over that of the sham-operated rats. The
number of micturitions per day of the obstructed rats treated with L-arginine for 1 and6 weeks significantly decreased in comparison to that of the obstructed rats. In theurodynamic study, the maximum detrusor pressure of the obstructed rats for 1 and 6
weeks significantly increased over that of the sham-operated rats. Residual urine volumeof the obstructed rats for 1 and 6 weeks significantly increased over that of the shamoperated rats. The maximum detrusor pressure and residual urine volume of the
obstructed rats treated with L-arginine for 1 and 6 weeks significantly decreased overthose of the obstructed rats. In the histological study, the area density of smooth muscle
versus connective tissue of the 1- and 6-week obstructed rats significantly increased
over that of the sham-operated rats. Histological changes in the 1- and 6-week obstructed
rats were prevented by treatment with L-arginine. These results indicate that L-arginine
has a beneficial effect on bladder dysfunction in bladder outlet-obstructed rats. Thismight be due to L-arginine’s influence in increasing NO levels and the rate of bloodflow in the obstructed bladder.
Key words: bladder dysfunction; bladder outlet obstruction; L-arginine; rat

Bladder outlet obstruction is one of the mostcommon urological problems in elderly malepatients (McGuire, 1984; Berggren and Uvelius,
1998). Bladder outlet obstruction secondary tobenign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) induces
various bladder dysfunctions. Increases inurinary frequency and urgency are typical signsof the early stages of BPH (McGuire, 1984).

During the later stages of BPH, patients sufferfrom increasing amounts of residual urine andare subject to overflow incontinence due to retention (McGuire, 1984). These symptoms may
be related to the lack of ability of the detrusor tocompensate for bladder outlet obstruction andresult in impaired detrusor contractility (Saito
et al., 1993). But the association between

Abbreviations: BPH, benign prostatic hyperplasia; NIH, National Institutes of Health; NO, nitric oxide;
NOS, nitric oxide synthase9M. Honda

bladder outlet obstruction and the resulting
changes in bladder function is poorly understood (Greenland and Brading, 2001). In recent
years, some authors have reported that increased intravesical pressure and bladder outlet
obstruction are associated with decreased bladder blood flow (Nielsen, 1995; Greenland andBrading, 1996; Lin et al., 1998). Nielsen (1995)
showed that a median decrease of 47% in bloodflow rate was observed after distension in the 2month obstructed mini-pig bladder. After 2
weeks of partial bladder outlet obstruction in
rabbits, Lin et al. (1998) reported an 80% decrease in blood flow rate. Also, Greenland andBrading (2001) showed that significant detrusor
ischemia occurs during prolonged voiding contractions in obstructed pigs.
Nitric oxide (NO) mediates relaxation ofsmooth muscle. Until recently, there have been
few reports of this type of relaxation in the detrusor smooth muscle. Andersson and Persson(1995) have described that the detrusor had alower sensitivity to NO, which makes it lesslikely that it can play the role of a relaxant neurotransmitter. Moreover, NO is a major bloodflow regulator that is synthesized and releasedby NO synthase (NOS). Although there havebeen no reports on measurement of NO in the
obstructed bladder, there has been speculation
regarding the role of NO in bladder ischemia of
the obstructed bladder (Sutherland et al., 1998).
The goal of this study was to determine
whether L-arginine, a precursor of NO synthesis, prevents bladder dysfunction induced bybladder outlet obstruction. This is the first report to study the effects of L-arginine in ex-

perimental bladder dysfunction of bladderoutlet-obstructed rats.

Materials and Methods
Twelve-week-old female Wistar rats weighing
200 to 250 g (SLC, Shizuoka, Japan) were used.
All animal experiments were performed inaccordance with the guidelines of the Tottori
University Committee for Animal Experimentation. All rats were housed in a room with
controlled lighting and were allowed access tofood and water ad libitum. Rats were divided
into 6 groups, each containing 7 rats as follows:
Group I, 1 week after sham operation; Group II,
1 week after surgical induction of bladder outlet
obstruction; Group III, L-arginine (150 mg/kg/day) was injected intraperitoneally for 1 week
after surgical induction of bladder outlet obstruction; Group IV, 6 weeks after sham operation; Group V, 6 weeks after surgical inductionof bladder outlet obstruction and Group VI, Larginine (150 mg/kg/day) was injected intraperitoneally for 6 weeks after surgical inductionof bladder outlet obstruction (Table 1).
Surgical bladder outlet obstruction was
created in Groups II, III, V and VI according to
Mattiasson and Uvelius (1982). After anesthesia with intraperitoneal sodium pentobarbital(50 mg/kg), the abdomen was opened through a
midline suprapubic incision and the bladder andthe proximal urethra were exposed withoutcausing damage to the bladder. A constantdegree of urethral obstruction was produced bytying a ligature of 2-0 silk around the urethra
and a catheter with an outer diameter of 1.70
mm. The catheter was then removed. The
presence of the catheter ensured that the ligature did not significantly compress the urethra.
The bladder was returned to normal position
within the abdomen and the skin incision wasclosed. Sham-operated animals (Groups I andIV) underwent a similar procedure with dissection around the urethra, but with no placement of the silk ligature.
At end of the experiment, micturition behavior in the metabolic cage was monitored.
Three days after the measurement of micturi-

Table 1. Surgical and medical treatments inthe various groups of rats
Group Duration Surgical induction(week)of bladderoutlet obstruction
I
II
III
IV
V
VI

1
1
1
6
6
6

Not doneDone
Done
Not doneDone
Done

Medicaltreatment
None
None
L-arginine
None
None
L-arginine

10

Bladder outlet obstruction in rats
tion behavior, a cystometrogram under urethane
anesthesia was performed. Immediately after
the cystometrogram, all rats were sacrificed andtheir bladders were removed for weighing.
After the weights were recorded, each bladder
was used for histological examination.

the multiport controller Maclab/400. Duringvoiding, filter paper was carefully placed at themeatus to absorb the voided urine without spillage and weighed to measure the voided volume.
To establish a reliable baseline, a period ofat least 20 min was allowed to elapse after
surgery before measurements were taken, andcystometrograms were repeated 3 times in eachgroup. The following parameters were evaluated: bladder capacity, bladder compliance, maximum detrusor pressure, voided volume and residual urine volume. The maximum detrusorpressure was defined as instantaneous pressure
minus post-contraction resting pressure.

Voiding behavior studies
The rats were placed in a metabolic cage containing a urine collection funnel and placed
over an electronic balance (HF200, A.N.D.,
Tokyo, Japan) to measure micturition behavior.
Plastic 250-mL beakers were placed on thebalance pans. The balances were connected to apersonal computer (Macintosh Powerbook G3,Apple Computer, Cupertino, CA) via a multiport controller (Maclab/400, AD Instruments,
Castle Hill, Australia) to monitor the cumulative weight of the collected urine. All rats received water ad libitum when initially placed in
the cages. Micturition frequency and volumes
were sampled by the computer continually
every 150 s for 24 h and the data was stored on
harddisk. Each monitoring started at 18:00.
The following parameters of the micturitionreflex were obtained: urine volume per micturition, maximal micturition volume, micturition
frequency and total urine output.

Histological examination of the rat bladder
The bladders were cut free of surrounding
tissue and weighed on a Mettler Basbal scale(Delta Range, Tokyo). After each bladder wastransected at the level of the ureteric orifices, it
was immediately fixed with 20% formalin. After
fixation, the tissues were embedded in paraffin.
Five micron-thick tissue sections were cut fromthese paraffin blocks. The tissue sections weredeparaffinized with xylene and rehydrated witha graded series of ethanol. All of the bladderspecimens were stained using the Elastica-van
Gieson method according to Schlote and Gaus
(1994). Smooth muscle and collagen are stained yellow and red, respectively. Each section
was viewed under a light microscope at a magnification of 400.

Cystometrogram
Cystometric studies were performed according
to Watanabe and Miyagawa (1999). A cystometrogram was performed under urethane anesthesia (1.0 g/kg subcutaneously). The cystometry was done using a 24 G catheter inserted
into the apex of the bladder dome for the purpose of recording pressure and filling the bladder with physiological saline. External bladderfilling was carried out using an infusion pump(5200, TOP, Tokyo) at a constant rate of 0.4
mL/min until micturition was detected. A cystostomy catheter was connected to an externalpressure transducer (P2310, Gould, Eastlake,OH) for the measurement of intravesical pressure. Intravesical pressure was recorded on the
personal computer Macintosh Powerbook G3 via
a bridge amplifier (ML112, AD Instruments) andColor-assisted quantitative image analysis
The stained tissue sections were viewed under amicroscope (BX50, Olympus, Tokyo) using a
digital camera (HC-3000, Fujix, Tokyo). The
image of the histologic section which wasdisplayed on a color monitor (PVM-20M4V,
Sony, Tokyo) was printed using a digital color
printer (CP700DSA, Mitsubishi, Tokyo). The
image was digitized using a scanner (GT-8000,
EPSON, Tokyo) operated by the Macintosh
Powerbook G3. The automated analysis was
performed using the National Institutes of11

M. Honda

Table 2. Comparison of bladder weight
among control, obstructed and L-argininetreated obstructed ratsparison. A probability of P < 0.05 was considered to be statistically significant.

Group

Drugs and chemicals

Bladder weight (g)I
0.146 ± 0.006
II
0.184 ± 0.010
III
0.142 ± 0.003
IV
0.131 ± 0.006
V
0.251 ± 0.025
VI
0.134 ± 0.005
Shown are mean ± SEM.
** P < 0.01.

L-arginine, pentobarbital and urethane werepurchased from Sigma (St. Louis, MO). Allother chemicals were of a commercial base.

**
**
**
**

Results
Bladder weight

Health (NIH) Image 1.55 (Research Service
Branch, NIH). The NIH Image 1.55 is an image
analysis system which discriminates the color
differences of stained tissue sections. The NIH
Image 1.55 was utilized to discriminate thedifferentially stained smooth muscle and connective tissue elements. The area densities corresponding to the smooth muscle and connective tissue components were calculated per fullscreen. At least 10 different fields were examined from each tissue section. The ratio ofpercent area density of smooth muscle versus
connective tissue was determined for each subject.

The results of bladder weight are recorded inTable 2. After 1 and 6 weeks of bladder outlet
obstruction, the bladder weight of obstructed
rats was significantly increased compared tothat of sham-operated rats. Six weeks of obstruction induced an increase in bladder mass ofover twice that of the sham bladder weight.
This increase was significantly prevented bytreatment with L-arginine.
Voiding behavior studies
The results of the voiding behavior study are recorded in Table 3. The frequency of micturition
was greater during the dark cycle than during
the light cycle. After 1 and 6 weeks, bladderoutlet obstruction induced an increase in thenumber of micturitions per day and a decreasein the average micturition volume. Also, there
was a significant difference in the number of
micturitions per day and the average micturition

Statistical analysis
All results are expressed as the mean value ±SEM. Statistical comparison of differences between groups was performed using analysis ofvariance and Fisher’s test for the multiple com-

Table 3. Comparison of micturition behavior among control, obstructed and L-argininetreated obstructed rats
Group

Volumeexcreted per day(mL)

I
20.4 ± 1.4
II20.9 ± 1.7
III19.8 ± 1.0
IV17.9 ± 0.6
V20.6 ± 1.5
VI18.0 ± 3.3
Shown are mean ± SEM.
*P < 0.05; **P < 0.01.

Numberof micturitions
per day
22.3 ± 1.3
53.8 ± 8.5
27.5 ± 3.3
16.7 ± 0.7
38.7 ± 3.6
15.2 ± 2.4

Averagemicturition volume
(mL)

**
**
**
**

0.91 ± 0.05
0.42 ± 0.05
0.77 ± 0.08
1.09 ± 0.06
0.56 ± 0.06
1.20 ± 0.13

12

Maximalmicturition volume
(mL)

**
**
**
**

1.79 ± 0.06
1.30 ± 0.14
1.61 ± 0.23
2.12 ± 0.07
2.12 ± 0.18
2.50 ± 0.23*

Bladder outlet obstruction in rats
Table 4. Comparison of urodynamic parameters among control, obstructed and L-argininetreated obstructed rats
Group

Bladder
capacity(mL)

I
0.28 ± 0.03
II
0.31 ± 0.06
III
0.25 ± 0.08
IV
0.30 ± 0.06**
V
0.83 ± 0.17*
VI
0.40 ± 0.08
Shown are mean ± SEM.
*P < 0.05; **P < 0.01.

Maximum
detrusor pressure(cm H2O)
27.4 ± 1.3
41.3 ± 2.3
23.7 ± 1.7
28.6 ± 0.7
58.3 ± 4.5
33.8 ± 2.6

**
**
**
**

Voidedvolume(mL)
0.27 ± 0.04
0.25 ± 0.05
0.23 ± 0.06
0.28 ± 0.06
0.27 ± 0.06
0.36 ± 0.07

volume between the obstructed rats and the obstructed rats treated with L-arginine, although
no differences were seen in the volume excreted
per day and the maximal micturition volume
between them.

Residual
urine volume(mL)
0.01 ± 0.01
0.07 ± 0.02
0.02 ± 0.01
0.02 ± 0.01
0.56 ± 0.17
0.04 ± 0.03

Bladdercompliance(mL/cm H2O)

**
**
**
**

0.06 ± 0.01
0.07 ± 0.02
0.08 ± 0.03
0.08 ± 0.02
0.12 ± 0.02
0.09 ± 0.01

the bladder compliance among them. After 6
weeks of bladder outlet obstruction, the bladdercapacity significantly increased in the obstucted
rats compared to the sham-operated rats andthis change was significantly prevented bytreatment with L-arginine.

Cystometrogram
Histological examination of the rat bladder: the area densities of smooth muscle
versus connective tissue

The results from cystometric experiments arerecorded in Table 4. After 1 and 6 weeks of
bladder outlet obstruction, the maximum detrusor pressure and the residual urine volume
significantly increased in the obstructed rats
compared to that of the sham-operated rats.
The maximum detrusor pressure and the residual urine volume were significantly improvedin the obstructed rats treated with L-arginine
compared to the obstructed rats, although there
were no differences in the voided volume and

The results of histological examination are recorded in Table 5. The area densities of smoothmuscle versus connective tissue were calculated from tissue sections by means of the Elasticavan Gieson method using color-assisted computer image analysis. Examples of bladderspecimens are shown in Figs. 1 and 2. After 1
and 6 weeks of bladder outlet obstruction, thearea densities of smooth muscle versus connective tissue significantly increased in the obstructed rats compared to the sham-operated
rats and these changes were significantly prevented by treatment with L-arginine.

Table 5. Area densities of smooth muscle
versus connective tissueGroup

Smooth muscle area density/connective tissue area density

I
1.80 ± 0.06
II
9.71 ± 0.41
III
2.79 ± 0.06
IV
2.11 ± 0.08
V
11.09 ± 0.26
VI
3.46 ± 0.05
Shown are mean ± SEM.
**P < 0.01.

Discussion

**
**
**

In this study, Wistar rats whose urethral diameter was reduced by placing a suture around theurethra were used as a model for bladder outlet
obstruction. In order to experimentally reproduce and study the change of bladder function
in regard to the bladder outlet obstruction, ani-

**
**
**

13

M. Honda

mal models of bladder outlet obstruction have tween the sham-operated rats and the obstructedbeen developed in several species including the rats in the cystometric study. In the voiding
rabbit (Kato et al., 1988), guinea pig (Mostwin behavior study, rats were placed individually in
et al., 1991) and rat (Malmgren et al., 1987; metabolic cages to measure urine output for 24
Steers and De Groat, 1988). Obstruction has h. In contrast, the cystometric study was perbeen variously created by surgical placement of formed using a catheter inserted into the apex ofa ligature (Malmgren et al., 1987; Steers and De the bladder dome under urethane anesthesia. In
Groat, 1988), cuff (Kato et al., 1988) or ring rats, anesthesia suppresses both spontaneous(Mostwin et al., 1991) around the urethra.
In the rat, a variety of methods have beenused to create a model of bladder outlet
obstruction (Constantinou, 1996) but themost common methodology to create amodel of bladder outlet obstruction
involves reduction of the urethral diameterby placing a suture around the urethra.
This model was developed by Malmgren
et al. (1987), and they showed that strips A
dissected from most rat bladders 6 weeks
after urethral obstruction demonstrated
increased spontaneous activity. Further
studies using this model demonstrated asignificant increase in micturition frequency, micturition pressure and residual
urine volume. Although differences between the rat model and humans concerning bladder outlet obstruction exist, similarities in their bladder dysfunction argue
that this animal model remains valid for B
investigating the effects of obstruction(Steers, 1994).
The present study found that L-arginine prevents bladder dysfunction inducedby bladder outlet obstruction. Evidenceshows that an increase in the number of
micturitions per day and a decrease inaverage micturition volume in bladderoutlet-obstructed rats are prevented bytreatment with L-arginine. Also, cysto- C
metric investigation indicates that bladderoutlet obstruction causes increases inmaximum detrusor pressure and residual
urine volume, both of which are prevented
by treatment with L-arginine. Although
there was a significant difference in the Fig. 1. Sections of rat bladder stained using the Elasticaaverage micturition volume between the van Gieson method (original magnification, × 400). A:
sham-operated rats and the obstructed rats Group I, 1 week after sham operation. B: Group II, 1 week
after surgical induction of bladder outlet obstruction. C:
in the voiding behavior study, there were Group III, L-arginine was injected intraperitoneally for 1
no differences in the voided volume be- week after surgical induction of bladder outlet obstruction.
14

Bladder outlet obstruction in rats
NO is synthesized from L-arginine in a reaction catalyzed by NOS (Burnett, 1995).
There is no published evidence on whether or
not treatment with L-arginine increases tissuelevels of NO in the bladder. However, thechronic administration of oral L-arginine has
been examined for use in modification of other
NO-related processes, such as preventionof atheroma formation in rabbits anderectile response in rats (Cooke et al., 1992;
Moody et al., 1997). Moody et al. (1997)
showed that long-term oral L-arginine
administration increased penile levels of
L-arginine, and that L-arginine would upregulate penile NOS activity. Also, Yanget al. (1998) reported that L-arginine
supplementation increased urine NO
A production. Therefore, in the present study
it is presumed that treatment with Larginine may increase levels of NO in the
obstructed bladder.
Consequent to the discovery by
Furchgott and Zawadzki (1980) of an
endothelial factor responsible for relaxation of vascular smooth muscle, Palmer etal. (1987) proposed that NO was the responsible agent, a hypothesis that has been
B confirmed by others (Malmgren et al.,1987). NO plays a major role in the regulation of blood flow within the bladder(Shabsigh et al., 2000). The magnitude ofthe decrease in bladder mucosal bloodflow was seen after systemic NOS inhibitors in vivo (Kelm and Schrader, 1990).
Functionally, NO mediates the relaxationof smooth muscle both directly and indirectly (Gaw and Bevan, 1993). TheseC effects have been studied extensively inmany organ systems, including the gastrointestinal system (Keef et al., 1994), thegenitalia (Burnett et al., 1992) and both theupper (Bachmann and Mundel, 1994) andlower urinary tracts (Dokita et al., 1991;
Fig. 2. Sections of rat bladder stained using the Elastica- Persson et al., 1992). Additionally, NO has
van Gieson method (original magnification, × 400). A: been found throughout the lower urinaryGroup IV, 6 weeks after sham operation. B: Group V, 6 tract, especially in the bladder neck andweeks after surgical induction of bladder outlet obstruc- urethra (Sutherland et al., 1997). Thus, Ltion. C: Group VI, L-arginine was injected intraperitoneal- arginine’s prevention of bladder dysfuncly for 6 weeks after surgical induction of bladder outlet
tion in bladder-obstructed rats could be
obstruction.

activity and the micturition reflex (Malmgren etal., 1987). Thus, the difference between thevoided volume of the obstructed rats in thevoiding behavior study and that of the obstructed rats in the cystometric study may be due to adifference in the response of the detrusor related to anesthesia and methodology.

15

M. Honda

accounted for in 2 ways: i) L-arginine causes
an increase of blood flow in the bladder via NO;ii) The resistance of the urethra in bladderoutlet-obstructed rats may be decreased by Larginine treatment and this reduction of urethral
resistance may cause a decrease in intravesicalpressure. Moreover, the decrease of intravesical pressure may decrease the degree of
detrusor ischemia in bladder outlet obstruction.
Therefore, the L-arginine/NO pathway may
increase the blood flow of the obstructed bladder both directly and indirectly. On the other
hand, Saito et al. (1998) reported that NO works
as a cell/tissue damaging agent in ischemiareperfusion injury in the rat bladder. Thus, NO
works as both a cell/tissue damaging agent anda cell/tissue protecting agent in the rat bladder.
The present study suggests that NO works as acell/tissue protecting agent in bladder dysfunction in bladder outlet-obstructed rats.
The present study utilized color assistedcomputer image analysis to determine the effectof L-arginine on bladder morphometry in bladder outlet-obstructed rats. The bladder is comprised primarily of smooth muscle and connective tissue elements. These bladder components were stained different colors using the
Elastica-van Gieson method. The bladdersmooth muscle and connective tissue were
stained yellow and red, respectively, using the
Elastica-van Gieson method. Computerassisted color image analysis discriminated thestaining properties of smooth muscle and connective tissue. In the present study, bladderoutlet obstruction caused a significant increasein bladder weight, and this result is the same asthat reported by several authors (Uvelius andMattiasson, 1984; Malkowicz et al., 1986; Katoet al., 1988; Steers and De Groat, 1988; Mostwin
et al., 1991). The histologic basis of this increased mass varys depending on the model,
and can include smooth muscle hypertrophy,smooth muscle hyperplasia, fibroblast hyperplasia, and increases in intrinsic and extrinsic
connective tissue (Uvelius and Mattiasson, 1984).
Lemack et al. (1999) used Masson-trichromeand computer assisted color image analysis toquantify the ratio of smooth muscle to the extracellular matrix of obstructed mouse bladders.

They did not determine the changes in collagenand smooth muscle after the bladder was obstructed. However, in the present study the area
densities of smooth muscle versus connective
tissue increased after 1 and 6 weeks of bladderoutlet obstruction. These data and histologicalfindings may suggest that the increase of bladder weight in bladder outlet-obstructed rats is
related to smooth muscle hypertrophy. Moreover, increases in the area densities of smoothmuscle versus connective tissue in bladderoutlet-obstructed rats is prevented by treatment
with L-arginine. These data suggest that Larginine may protect morphological changes
induced by bladder outlet obstruction. Thisis probably because L-arginine functionallycauses a decrease in detrusor pressure on bladder outlet obstruction. However, further studies
are needed to clarify the effects of L-arginine on
morphological changes induced by bladder outlet obstruction.
In conclusion, L-arginine improved bladderdysfunction and the morphological changes ofthe bladder induced by bladder outlet obstruction. This may be due to the effect of L-arginine
to increase levels of NO and the rate of bloodflow in the obstructed bladder. In addition, NO
may play an important role in the damage induced by bladder outlet obstruction.

Acknowledgments: The author would like to thankProfessor Ikuo Miyagawa of the Department ofUrology, Tottori University Faculty of Medicine, for
his kind advice and valuable suggestions concerning
this study.
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Received November 29, 2001; accepted December 16, 2001
Corresponding author: Dr. Masahi Honda

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