Features of the vegetative regulation and blood supply to the bladder and prostate in old rats with age-related prostatic hyperplasia and their role in the pathogenesis of the benign prostatic hyperplasia and lower urinary tract symptoms

In experiment on 15 male rats of different age it was shown, that old rats in the age of 2 years have definitive age-related changes in the prostate, analogous to the benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), in a form of increase in the prostatic mass and typical histological picture. As a part of aging a bladder dysfunction was also denoted in a form of spontaneous contractions’ amplitude increase during the storage phase of micturition and in a rise of intravesical pressure in 62,5% of the cases when starting miction, which could be valued as analogue to the lower urinary tract symptom (LUTS) complex, arising in patients with BPH. This data allowed to account a rat model for an adequate model of the BPH. Harmonic analysis of bioimpedance method, developed in the Scientific Institute of Urology, allowed to show the blood flow disturbances in the bladder and prostate at the stage of full bladder and in the beginning of voiding. At that neurogenic activity of the bladder in old rats was almost two times less when compared to young population (aged 5-6 months) and wasn’t going up during the voiding begin in a way typical for young rats. Neurogenic activity in the old rats’ prostate was also increased, but there was no place for its increase as in young animals. The vegetative balance showed the dominancy of the parasympathetic input in the prostate with hyperplasia, while young population tended to have an increased sympathetic influence. In young rats the rapid growth of the parasympathetic activity was evident, while the decrease of this activity could be shown in old rats, which turned to push the balance to the side of sympathetic system. The information obtained in this study shows the disturbances which occur in the vegetative regulation of the blood supply and function of the bladder and prostate during the course of BPH and concordant LUTS.