Keywords
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HCN channel bladder interstitial cell of Cajal |
Aims and Objectives
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Because the urinary bladder can contract voluntarily through myogenic excitation, it would be reasonable to predict that the bladder has the potential for self-excitation. The physiological effects of the hyperpolarization-activated nucleotide-gated (HCN) channel in initiating and modulating bladder excitability need to be investigated. Moreover, the interstitial cells of Cajal (ICCs) in the bladder have been suggested to participate in the bladder pacemaking and signal transmission. However, the relationship between the ICCs and HCN channels needs to be clarified. In this study, the HCN channel and its subtypes in the bladder, as well as their relationships to the bladder ICCs, were investigated.
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