膀胱ICC细胞(Interstitial cells of Cajal in bladder)早在上个世纪已被发现,与胃肠道ICC细胞同族,膀胱ICC以自发电活动为特性,源于胞内贮存钙离子释放和钙激活的氯同道开放引起自发短暂去极化。膀胱ICC细胞起初被理解为起搏细胞,其自发的电活动作为起搏器引起下游平滑肌的收缩,这种假说尚缺乏立足的直接证据,目前认为ICC细胞仅仅是膀胱平滑肌收缩活动的调节器,与上皮-传入神经以及神经-平滑肌的信号传递密切相关。病理状态下ICC细胞的作用似乎比生理状态下更为突出,例如膀胱过度活动症,多篇文献报道膀胱过度活动症患者膀胱的ICC细胞数目比正常增多,而且其平滑肌的收缩对酪氨酸激酶受体(tyrosine kinase receptor,c-Kit)拮抗剂格列卫更加敏感。未来膀胱ICC细胞的研究集中在阐明病理及生理状态下ICC的作用机制和信号通路。
Interstitial c ells of Cajal(ICC) of the bladder has defined advances in the last decade.which belong to the same family as the better known ICC of the gastrointestinal tract.the apontaneous activity of bladder ICC rises from the relrase of internally stored Ca2+ and the opening of Ca2+ activated Cl2+ channels.Bladder ICC were fist deemed to pacemaker cells leading to myogenic activity of bladder smooth muscle.However,at present bladder ICC is considered modulater of bladder contraction.The bladder ICC in the patho-logical state seems more prominent than the physiological state,such as overactive bladder.Several reports have indicated that the numbers of ICC present in overactive bladder tissues are greater than those from normal tissues,and contractility of tissues from overactive bladders appears to be more sensitive to glivec.In the future,mechanisms and signaling pathways of the bladder ICC are to be clarified both in the pathological and physiological state.