A porcine model of ureteral contractile activity: Influences of age, tissue orientation, region, urothelium, COX and NO

Introduction: 

We aimed to investigate factors contributing to ureteral responses and establish a reliable porcine model for studying ureteral contractility. 

Methods: 

Isolated ureteral strips from young (6-month old) and older (3-year old) pigs were mounted in organ baths and subjected to phenylephrine, 5-HT, carbachol and histamine. Ureteral strips developed bursts of contractile activity which was measured as area under the curve (AUC) and frequency. Phenylephrine and 5-HT-induced responses of proximal and distal ureters were obtained, in the presence and absence of indomethacin (10 μM) and L-NNA (100 μM), and the influence of an intact mucosa was examined. 

Results: 

Phenylephrine and 5-HT-induced contractile responses were greater than those to carbachol in the porcine ureter. In fact, responses to carbachol were only present in ureters from older animals. Ureters suspended longitudinally had increased phenylephrine-induced contractions compared to those suspended circularly (p < .05). A greater amount of tissue strips developed spontaneous contractions from the proximal region compared to distal (83% vs 25%). There was an increase in maximum phenylephrine-induced responses in the distal ureter when compared to the proximal ureter (p < .05). In the presence of indomethacin, only 5-HT-induced contractions in the young animals were depressed (p < .05) while L-NNA did not affect any ureteral responses. The intact mucosa significantly decreased contractile responses to phenylephrine and 5-HT in the porcine ureter. 

Discussion: 

The complexity of ureteral contractions depicting bursts of phasic activity requires AUC assessment. Porcine ureteral contractile properties, such as regional differences, influence of mucosa and lack of response to carbachol, are similar to those reported in the literature for human ureter.