A rational combination of intravesical and systemic agents for the treatment of interstitial cystitis

Pathophysiology, assessment, and treatment of overactive bladder symptoms in patients with interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome

INTRODUCTION

Interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS) is prevalent, difficult to treat, and has close symptom overlap with overactive bladder (OAB). A review of the pathophysiology, assessment, and treatment of IC/BPS patients with overlapping OAB symptoms has not been summarized recently in the published literature.

METHODS

A review of the published literature on the overlap of IC/BPS and OAB was conducted using MeSH terminology (1992-2022).

RESULTS

The pathophysiology of IC/BPS is not fully understood. Animal research has found the bladder trigone and base are richly populated by afferent fibers, including many small unmyelinated C-fibers that may be upregulated in IC/BPS. Successful therapies with multimodal effects on OAB symptoms in patients with IC/BPS are likely to exert beneficial effects on both pain and lower urinary tract symptoms. Potentially efficacious therapies for the treatment of OAB in IC/BPS include pelvic floor physical therapy, oral pharmacotherapy (antimuscarinics and beta-3 agonists), sacral neuromodulation, percutaneous tibial nerve stimulation, and botulinum toxin A (BTA). Antimuscarinics and beta-3 agonists have yielded partial efficacy in IC/BPS, although may help differentiate symptoms of OAB from those associated with IC/BPS. The transvaginal trigone treatment (T3) intradetrusor injection approach allows for delivery of therapeutics to the bladder without the need for a cystoscope and appears to be feasible.

CONCLUSIONS

Further research is needed to understand the pathophysiology of IC/BPS and symptom overlap with OAB, which in turn should enable the development of more personalized therapeutics.

A modified clinical scoring system for bladder pain syndrome: Long term experience

PURPOSE

To document a modified clinical scoring system in patients with bladder pain syndrome that increases weightage to pain and nocturia and includes measures for sexual dysfunction and psychological impact. The clinical outcome of a set combination of treatment modalities linked to the clinical score at entry was also made.

METHODS

The new proposed scale was used to assess and treat 190 enrolled patients from January 2009 to September 30, 2017. The patients were evaluated using the new scoring system at the time of induction, after 1, 3 and 6 months after commencement of treatment. Thereafter, they were followed every 6 months. The new scoring system included increased weightage to pain and nocturia and added domains of sexual dysfunction and psychological impact. The patients were treated with a protocol followed by the authors and published in the year 2007. A pictorial linkage of treatment modalities used with the clinical score of the patient was also described.

RESULTS

A total of 174 evaluable patients had a follow up between 6 and 105 months (mean 64 months). The patients had age distribution between 24 and 76 years and included 19 male patients. 154 out of 174 patients (88.5%) had good or excellent response to treatment using the proposed scale at the end of 6 months.

CONCLUSIONS

The proposed clinical scale appeared to aid clinical stratification of severity of the disease at the induction and during follow up. The treatment protocol could be linked with the clinical score at the time of induction.

GAG replenishment therapy for bladder pain syndrome/interstitial cystitis

AIMS

To present a rationale for the inclusion of urothelial coating dysfunction in the etipathogenesis of bladder pain syndrome/interstitial cystitis (BPS/IC) and the preclinical and clinical evidence in support of glycosaminoglycan (GAG) replenishment therapy in the treatment of BPS/IC, supplemented by the clinical experience of medical experts in the field and patient advocates attending a symposium on GAG replenishment at ESSIC'17, the annual Meeting of the International Society for the Study of Bladder Pain Syndrome, held in Budapest, Hungary in 2017.

RESULTS

The urothelial GAG layer has a primary role in providing a permeability barrier to prevent penetration of urinary toxins and pathogens into the bladder wall. Disruption of the GAG layer contributes to the development of BPS/IC. The evidence shows that replenishment of GAGs can restore the GAG layer in BPS/IC, reducing inflammation, pain, and other symptoms.

CONCLUSIONS

Although data from large randomized controlled studies are limited, long clinical observation and the experience of clinicians and patients support the beneficial effects of intravesical GAG replenishment therapy for providing symptomatic relief for patients with BPS/IC.

Sub-noxious Intravesical Lipopolysaccharide Triggers Bladder Inflammation and Symptom Onset in A Transgenic Autoimmune Cystitis Model: A MAPP Network Animal Study

Patients with interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS) can potentially develop symptom flares after exposure to minor bladder irritants such as subclinical bacterial infection. To reproduce this symptom onset, we intravesically instilled a sub-noxious dose of uropathogenic E. coli component lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in young URO-OVA/OT-I mice, a transgenic autoimmune cystitis model that spontaneously develops bladder inflammation at ≥10 weeks of age. Female URO-OVA/OT-I mice (6-weeks old) were treated intravesically with phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) or PBS containing a sub-noxious dose (1 μg) of LPS. Mice were evaluated for bladder inflammation, pelvic pain, and voiding dysfunction at days 1, 7, and 14 post-treatment. Mice treated with LPS but not PBS developed early bladder inflammation with increased macrophage infiltration. Accordingly, the inflamed bladders expressed increased levels of mRNA for proinflammatory cytokines (IL-1β and IL-6) and pain mediator (substance P precursor). In addition, LPS-treated mice exhibited pelvic pain and voiding dysfunction such as increased urinary frequency and reduced bladder capacity. These functional changes sustained up to day 14 tested. Our results indicate that a single sub-noxious dose of intravesical LPS triggers early bladder inflammation and symptom onset in URO-OVA/OT-I mice, providing a useful model for IC/BPS symptom flare study.

Pharmacological management of interstitial cystitis /bladder pain syndrome and the role cyclosporine and other immunomodulating drugs play

INTRODUCTION

Interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS) is a symptomatic disorder characterized by pelvic pain and urinary frequency. Immunological responses are considered as one of the possible etiologies of IC/BPS. In this review, we focused on emerging targets, especially on those modulating immunological mechanisms for the treatments of IC/BPS. Area covered: This review was based on the literature search of PubMed/MEDLINE, for which key words following bladder pain syndrome, interstitial cystitis, and/or cyclosporine A (CyA) were used. We discussed current treatments and the drugs targeting the immune responses including CyA and other drugs with different mechanisms including NGF antibodies and P2X3 antagonists. Expert commentary: IC/BPS is often difficult to treat by current treatments. Immunosuppression agents, especially CyA are considered as effective treatments for IC/BPS with Hunner's lesion because these drugs suppress the inflammatory responses in the bladder underlying urinary symptoms of the disease. Base on the previous literatures, we should use CyA for the refractory IC/BPS, especially that with Hunner's lesion due to its side effects. New drugs targeting other mechanisms such as urothelial or afferent nerve dysfunction or new delivery systems such as sustained drug releasing devices or gene therapy techniques may be promising for the future treatments of IC/BPS.

Evidence for the Role of Mast Cells in Cystitis-Associated Lower Urinary Tract Dysfunction: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Study of Chronic Pelvic Pain Research Network Animal Model Study

Bladder inflammation frequently causes cystitis pain and lower urinary tract dysfunction (LUTD) such as urinary frequency and urgency. Although mast cells have been identified to play a critical role in bladder inflammation and pain, the role of mast cells in cystitis-associated LUTD has not been demonstrated. Interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS) is a chronic and debilitating inflammatory condition of the urinary bladder characterized by the hallmark symptoms of pelvic pain and LUTD. In this study we investigated the role of mast cells in LUTD using a transgenic autoimmune cystitis model (URO-OVA) that reproduces many clinical correlates of IC/BPS. URO-OVA mice express the membrane form of the model antigen ovalbumin (OVA) as a self-antigen on the urothelium and develop bladder inflammation upon introduction of OVA-specific T cells. To investigate the role of mast cells, we crossed URO-OVA mice with mast cell-deficient Kit^W-sh mice to generate URO-OVA/Kit^W-sh mice that retained urothelial OVA expression but lacked endogenous mast cells. We compared URO-OVA mice with URO-OVA/Kit^W-sh mice with and without mast cell reconstitution in response to cystitis induction. URO-OVA mice developed profound bladder inflammation with increased mast cell counts and LUTD, including increased total number of voids, decreased mean volume voided per micturition, and decreased maximum volume voided per micturition, after cystitis induction. In contrast, similarly cystitis-induced URO-OVA/Kit^W-sh mice developed reduced bladder inflammation with no mast cells and LUTD detected. However, after mast cell reconstitution URO-OVA/Kit^W-sh mice restored the ability to develop bladder inflammation and LUTD following cystitis induction. We further treated URO-OVA mice with cromolyn, a mast cell membrane stabilizer, and found that cromolyn treatment reversed bladder inflammation and LUTD in the animal model. Our results provide direct evidence for the role of mast cells in cystitis-associated LUTD, supporting the use of mast cell inhibitors for treatment of certain forms of IC/BPS.

Interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome: management of the pain disorder: a urogynecology perspective

Our understanding of interstitial cystitis/painful bladder syndrome (IC/BPS) has evolved with the advancements in our understanding of visceral pain syndromes. The concept of IC/BPS as a visceral pain disorder is used as a model to base a targeted approach to the management of patients with IC/BPS. Guidelines for the treatment of both the bladder and nonbladder pain disorders are reviewed.

Contemporary management of the painful bladder: a systematic review

CONTEXT

Different types of behavioural, dietary, interventional, pharmacologic, and surgical therapies have been used to treat painful bladder syndrome/interstitial cystitis (PBS/IC). Because of the paucity of randomised placebo-controlled studies on different treatments, an evidence-based management approach has not yet been developed.

OBJECTIVE

To critically review and synthesize data from a wide range of current therapeutic approaches to PBS/IC, to quantify the effect size from randomised controlled trials (RCTs), and to reach clinical agreement on the efficacy of treatments for PBS/IC.

EVIDENCE ACQUISITION

We performed a systematic review of the literature to identify articles published between 1990 and September 2010 on the management of PBS/IC. We included articles restricted to the English language published since 1990 to date that reported on oral and intravesical treatment, multimodal or combined treatment, and surgical treatment. For all RCTs, standardised mean differences (SMDs) were extracted and combined in a meta-analysis applying a random-effect model that incorporated the heterogeneity of effects. The four outcomes assessed in all studies were a change in the Interstitial Cystitis Symptom Index (ICSI), pain, urgency, and frequency. Non-RCTs (nRCTs) were analysed with a narrative synthesis of the evidence from all research designs.

EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS

We included 7709 adult patients from 29 RCTs and 57 nRCTs. Meta-analysis of RCTs showed that only cyclosporine A provided a simultaneous great effect size of SMD on ICSI, pain, and frequency. Amitriptyline at different dosages showed a great effect size of SMD on pain and urgency or on ICSI and frequency. The remaining RCTs showed sporadic significant changes in only one of the four considered parameters. The attributed levels of evidence for treatments reported in RCTs were 1b; grades of recommendations ranged from A to C. According to the Jadad score, 11 RCTs were high-quality studies. Meta-analysis of RCTs showed a great heterogeneity in the applied methodologies, clinical outcomes assessed, and the obtained results in different studies. The results from the nRCTs showed that the most frequently adopted treatment is oral pentosan polysulfate and that the use of botulinum A toxin intradetrusorial injections in PBS/IC is increasing. A high heterogeneity in drugs and treatment modalities, clinical outcomes, and obtained results was also found for nRCTs.

CONCLUSIONS

Limited evidence exists for the few treatments for PBS/IC. The lack of definitive conclusions is due to the great heterogeneity in methodology, symptoms assessment, duration of treatment, and follow-up in both RCTs and nRCTs.

Herpes simplex virus vector-mediated gene delivery for the treatment of lower urinary tract pain

Interstitial cystitis (IC)/painful bladder syndrome (PBS) is a painful debilitating chronic visceral pain disorder of unknown etiology that affects an estimated 1 million people in the United States alone. It is characterized by inflammation of the bladder that results in chronic pelvic pain associated with bladder symptoms of urinary frequency and urgency. Regardless of the etiology, IC/PBS involves either increased and/or abnormal activity in afferent nociceptive sensory neurons. Pain-related symptoms in patients with IC/PBS are often very difficult to treat. Both medical and surgical therapies have had limited clinical utility in this debilitating disease and numerous drug treatments, such as heparin, dimethylsulfoxide and amitriptyline, have proven to be palliative at best, and in some IC/PBS patients provide no relief whatsoever. Although opiate narcotics have been employed to help alleviate IC/PBS pain, this strategy is fraught with problems as systemic narcotic administration causes multiple unwanted side effects including mental status change and constipation. Moreover, chronic systemic narcotic use leads to dependency and need for dose escalation due to tolerance; therefore, new therapies are desperately needed to treat refractory IC/PBS. This has led our group to develop a gene therapy strategy that could potentially alleviate chronic pelvic pain using the herpes simplex virus-directed delivery of analgesic proteins to the bladder.

Interstitial cystitis: bladder pain and beyond

BACKGROUND

Interstitial cystitis is characterized by over 6 months of chronic pain, pressure and discomfort felt in the lower pelvis or bladder. It is often relieved with voiding, along with daytime frequency and nocturia in the absence of a urinary tract infection. Interstitial cystitis occurs primarily in females including adolescents and its diagnosis is still one of exclusion. It is now recognized as a serious medical condition associated with significant disability.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this paper was to review the pathogenesis and treatment of interstitial cystitis with emphasis on new pathogenetic trends and therapeutic modalities.

METHODS

About 713 mostly original papers were reviewed in Medline from 1990 to August. 2008. All authors independently reviewed the literature. Large, double-blind, placebo-controlled, clinical trials were few and the medical histories of the patients used varied considerably making conclusions difficult. Promising pilot trials turned out mostly negative on follow-up.

RESULTS

Increasing evidence of co-morbid diseases, neurogenic inflammation and the effect of stress are promising as new targets for pathophysiology. No new effective treatments have emerged. Oral pentosanpolysulfate, amitriptyline, hydroxyzine and quercetin, as well as intravesical heparin/bicarbonate/lidocaine solutions, are still used with variable success. Some pilot open-label trials presented encouraging findings.

CONCLUSION

Interstitial cystitis contributes substantially to chronic pelvic pain and to poor quality of life. Oral or intravesical administration of solutions containing sodium hyaluronate, chondroitin sulfate and quercetin to both reduce bladder inflammation and 'replenish' the glycosaminoglycan layer should be tried. There is a clear need for therapeutic modalities. New potential translational research areas are suggested.