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Review
. 2021 Jul 22;9(8):865.
doi: 10.3390/biomedicines9080865.

A Systematic Review of Therapeutic Approaches Used in Experimental Models of Interstitial Cystitis/Bladder Pain Syndrome

Tadeja Kuret  1 , Dominika Peskar  1 , Andreja Erman  1 , Peter Veranič  1
Affiliations
Review

A Systematic Review of Therapeutic Approaches Used in Experimental Models of Interstitial Cystitis/Bladder Pain Syndrome

Tadeja Kuret et al. Biomedicines. .

Abstract

Interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS) is a multifactorial, chronic bladder disorder with limited therapeutic options currently available. The present review provides an extensive overview of therapeutic approaches used in in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo experimental models of IC/BPS. Publications were identified by electronic search of three online databases. Data were extracted for study design, type of treatment, main findings, and outcome, as well as for methodological quality and the reporting of measures to avoid bias. A total of 100 full-text articles were included. The majority of identified articles evaluated therapeutic agents currently recommended to treat IC/BPS by the American Urological Association guidelines (21%) and therapeutic agents currently approved to treat other diseases (11%). More recently published articles assessed therapeutic approaches using stem cells (11%) and plant-derived agents (10%), while novel potential drug targets identified were proteinase-activated (6%) and purinergic (4%) receptors, transient receptor potential channels (3%), microRNAs (2%), and activation of the cannabinoid system (7%). Our results show that the reported methodological quality of animal studies could be substantially improved, and measures to avoid bias should be more consistently reported in order to increase the value of preclinical research in IC/BPS for potential translation to a clinical setting.

Keywords: bladder pain syndrome; ex vivo; experimental models; in vitro; in vivo; interstitial cystitis; therapeutic approaches.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Schematic illustration of IC/BPS pathology and therapeutic approaches evaluated in experimental in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo models of IC/BPS. Legend: ACh, acetylcholine; ATP, adenosine triphosphate; AUA, the American Urological Association; BTX-A, botulinum toxin A; CGRP, calcitonin gene-related peptide; DMSO, dimethyl sulfoxide; ECSWT, extracorporeal shock wave therapy; GAG, glycosaminoglycan; IC/BPS, interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome; PAR, protease-activated receptors; SP, substance P; TRP, transient receptor potential channels; solid lines indicate the therapeutic approaches for treatment of IC/BPS; dashed arrows indicate proposed sequence of events in IC/BPS pathophysiology. The Figure 1 was created using Biorender.com.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Flow diagram of study search and selection.
Figure 3
Figure 3
A summary of included experimental models evaluating different types of treatment for IC/BPS. Legend: AUA, the American Urological Association; ECSWT, extracorporeal shock wave therapy; IC/BPS, interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome; PAR, protease-activated receptors; TRP, transient receptor potential.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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