Mouse Bladder Wall Injection

Summary

Mouse bladder wall injection is a useful approach to orthotopically study bladder stem cell and cancer biology. This delicate microsurgical method can be mastered with careful technique and practice.

Abstract

Mouse bladder wall injection is a useful technique to orthotopically study bladder phenomena, including stem cell, smooth muscle, and cancer biology. Before starting injections, the surgical area must be cleaned with soap and water and antiseptic solution. Surgical equipment must be sterilized before use and between each animal. Each mouse is placed under inhaled isoflurane anesthesia (2-5% for induction, 1-3% for maintenance) and its bladder exposed by making a midline abdominal incision with scissors. If the bladder is full, it is partially decompressed by gentle squeezing between two fingers. The cell suspension of interest is intramurally injected into the wall of the bladder dome using a 29 or 30 gauge needle and 1 cc or smaller syringe. The wound is then closed using wound clips and the mouse allowed to recover on a warming pad. Bladder wall injection is a delicate microsurgical technique that can be mastered with practice.

Protocol

1. Mouse Bladder Wall Injection

Choice of mouse strain, age, and sex is dictated by experimental needs. We use mice between 8 and 12 weeks of age, since this is a window of immunological maturity prior to senescence. As a general guideline, mice should arrive at least one week prior to experimental manipulation in order to avoid stress-induced confounding factors.

1. Clean the surgical table surface with soap and water.
2. Wipe the surgical table surface with Cide Swipes or antiseptic wipes.
3. Autoclave clean surgical instruments prior to use in surgery.
4. In addition, sterilize surgical instruments with hot bead....

Discussion

Mouse bladder wall injection allows for the implantation of specific cells into defined areas of the bladder wall. This technique has wide applications for mouse models of bladder cancer, smooth muscle, and stem cell biology. By definition, mouse bladder wall injection facilitates introduction of bladder cancer or stem cells into an orthotopic location so that their growth and differentiation can be studied in a physiologically relevant anatomic context. In fact, Dinney et al. first described this technique in order to s.......

Materials

List of materials used in this article

Name	Company	Catalog Number	Comments
Isoflurane (Aerrane)	Baxter Internationl Inc.	NDC 10019-773-60
29 or 30 gauge needles	Hamilton Co	7803-06 or 7803-07
100 microliter syringe	Hamilton Co	7656-01