The role of prostaglandins in the maintenance of the tone of the rabbit urinary bladder.

The effects of bladder distension on the production of prostaglandins (PGs) were studied in an isolated rabbit bladder preparation. Increasing bladder distensions induced a proportional release of PGs together with a parallel increase in endovesical pressure; pretreatment with indomethacin prevented both. Infusion of exogenous PGs into the arteries of bladders previously filled and treated with indomethacin produced a rise in endovesical pressure similar to that observed subsequent to distension of the untreated bladder. Our results suggest that PGs and particularly PGE2 play a role in the maintenance of vesical tone during distension.