Abstract
It has been known for many years that the uroepithelium in the bladder and the region of the lamina propria are innervated by nerves which contain peptides such as Substance P, VIP and CGRP (see Torrens and Morrison, 1987). These fibres have free nerve endings and appear to be unmyelinated; these nerves are believed to be afferent because they are absent from rats treated neonatally with capsaicin. However there are few suggestions as to the physiological role of these nerves. It is known that some afferent fibres from the bladder are sensitive to acute administration of capsaicin and to irritant chemicals introduced into the bladder (McMahon and Abel, 1987; H_bler et al, 1988, 1990; Maggi, 1990), and it may be that these substances act on sensory endings in the epithelium. There have also been several reports recently that pelvic nerve afferents from the cat bladder include a population of fibres that do not respond to distension in the physiological and noxious ranges of pressure. These fibres are given the label’ silent’ afferents. The present experiments have investigated the effects of intravesical potassium at concentrations near the maximum level observed in normal rat urine.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Bahns, E., Ernsberger, U., Janig, W. & Nelke, A., 1986, Functional characteristics of lumbar visceral afferent fibres from the urinary bladder and the urethra in the cat. Pflugers Archiv, European Journal of Physiology. 407:510–518.
Bahns, E., Halsband, U. & Janig, W., 1987, Responses of sacral visceral afferents from the lower urinary tract, colon, and anus to mechanical stimulation. Pflugers Archiv, European Journal of Physiology. 410:296–303.
Floyd, K., Hick, Verity E. and Morrison, J.F.B., 1976, Mechano-sensitive afferent units in the hypogastric nerve of the cat, J. Physiol. 259:457–471.
Habler, H.J., Janig, W., Koltzenburg, M., 1988, A novel type of unmyelinated chemospecific nociceptor in acutely inflamed urinary bladder, Agents and Actions. 25:219–221.
Habler, H.J., Janig, W., Koltzenburg, M., 1990, Activation of unmyelinated afferent fibres by mechanical stimuli and inflammation of the urinary bladder in the cat, Journal of Physiology. 425:545–562.
Habler, H. J., Janig, W. & Koltzenburg, M., 1993, Myelinated primary afferents of the sacral spinal cord responding to slow filling and distension of the cat urinary bladder, Journal of Physiology. 463:449–460.
Janig, W. & Koltzenburg, M., 1990, On the function of spinal primary afferent fibres supplying colon and urinary bladder, Journal of the Autonomic Nervous System. 30 Suppl: S89–S96.
Maggi C.A., 1990, The dual function of capsaicin-sensitive sensory nerves in the bladder and urethra, in ‘Neurobiology of Incontinence’ pp 77-83 Ciba Foundation Symposium.
McMahon S.B., and Abel, C., 1987, A model for the study of visceral pain states: chronic inflammation of the chronic decerebrate rat urinary bladder by irritant chemicals, Pain. 28:109–27.
Torrens, M. and Morrison, J.F.B., 1987, “The Physiology of the Lower Urinary Tract,” Springer-Verlag, London.
Waddell, P.J., Lawson, S.N. and McCarthy, P.W., 1989, Conduction Velocity changes along the processes of rat primary sensory neurones, Neuroscience. 30:577–584
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1995 Springer Science+Business Media New York
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Wen, J., Morrison, J.F.B. (1995). The Effects of High Urinary Potassium Concentration on Pelvic Nerve Mechanoreceptors and ‘silent’ Afferents from the Rat Bladder. In: Zderic, S.A. (eds) Muscle, Matrix, and Bladder Function. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, vol 385. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-1585-6_29
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-1585-6_29
Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA
Print ISBN: 978-1-4899-1587-0
Online ISBN: 978-1-4899-1585-6
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive