Effect of pro-inflammatory cytokines on urothelial cell adenosine triphosphate release and breakdown.

Objectives: Urinary symptoms of urgency, frequency, and pain are thought to be the result of inflammation in several bladder pathologies although the cause of these symptoms remains uncertain. Extracellular adenosine triphosphate (ATP) released from the bladder urothelium during normal bladder stretch is believed to bind to purinergic receptors on afferent nerves to signal bladder sensation. This study examined pro-inflammatory cytokines in the urine of women with detrusor overactivity (DO) with or without urinary tract infection (UTI) compared to controls and then determined the effect of pro-inflammatory cytokines on ATP signaling (release and breakdown) from the urothelium.