Restoring the barrier of chronically damaged urothelium using chondroitin sulfate glycosaminoglycan-replenishment therapy.

Purpose Of Review: This study aims to further understand the physiological mechanism of chondroitin sulfate treatment on the urinary bladder in cases of inflammation, by investigating the effect of chondroitin sulfate therapy on recovery of urothelial barrier in an in-vitro chronic injury model.

Recent Findings: With inflammatory bladder conditions, the urothelial barrier seems decreased. Glycosaminoglycan (GAG) replacement therapy is supposed to help restore this barrier.

Improving the barrier function of damaged cultured urothelium using chondroitin sulfate.

Aims: To determine whether glycosaminoglycan (GAG) replenishment is able to improve recovery of a deficient urothelial barrier, chondroitin sulfate (CS) instillations were tested using an in vitro model. Porcine urothelial cells (Ucells) were terminally differentiated in culture conditions to construct a urothelial layer with a functional barrier. This layer was damaged to compromise barrier function to simulate a key characteristic of bladder pain syndrome/interstitial cystitis.