Rat urinary bladder denuded of urothelium. An in vivo model for the epithelial-stromal interactions in carcinogenesis.

To investigate epithelial-stromal interactions in bladder carcinogenesis, the authors developed an experimental model using a heterotopically transplanted rat urinary bladder (HTB). A rat urinary bladder which was completely denuded of epithelial cells ex vivo with hypotonic shock and a nonionic detergent was transplanted into a syngeneic recipient. No reepithelialization occurred during the 8-week posttransplant period. The basal lamina remained intact throughout this period and showed linear immunofluorescence with antibodies against laminin, Type IV collagen, and heparan sulfate-proteoglycan. When 1 X 10(5) to 5 X 10(5) dispersed normal urothelial cells were delivered into the HTB through an attached reservoir 4 days after transplantation, complete resurfacing by inoculated cells occurred within a few days. A transient hyperplasia was followed by a normal 2-3-cell-thick urothelial organization in 4 weeks. Cultured bladder carcinoma cells also resurfaced the denuded bladder basal lamina; the progressive growth of this neoplastic epithelium resulted in carcinoma in situ as well as foci of invasive carcinoma within 4 weeks following inoculation. This in vivo system has an advantage over other in vivo and in vitro models in that complete removal of epithelial cells can be achieved easily and completely; the course after reepithelialization can be modified by subsequent treatment, progression of neoplastic development can be closely observed by a change in the color of the aspirate, its cytology, and biochemical analysis of secretions; and an adequate amount of tissue can be available for subsequent examinations. The model is potentially useful not only for studying epithelial-stromal interactions during carcinogenesis, but also for examining the mechanisms of tumor invasion and metastasis.