Platelet-rich Plasma Helps Bladder Wall Integrity in IC/BPS Patients

Platelet-rich plasma therapy uses a patients own blood cells and growth factors to improve and increase healing in the bladder. This treatment requires a blood sample from the patient which is then processed to separate the platelets from other components of blood. This solution is then injected into the bladder wall. The risk of side effects is considered low because this treatment is derived from a patients own cells. Two new publications show that it appears to help restore the structural integrity and healing of the bladder wall in patients with interstitial cystitis and/or bladder pain syndrome.

Platelet-rich Plasma Structurally Improves The Bladder Wall

This study from China sought to determine if Platelet Rich Plasma improved the structural integrity of the bladder wall, specifically iurothelial cell growth, cytoskeleton, inflammation, and barrier function protein expressions in patients with IC/BPS. 19 patients with IC/BPS underwent 4 monthly intravesical PRP injections. Bladder biopsies were taken at the first and fourth PRP treatment. After PRP injections, the functional bladder capacity and maximum flow rate increased, and the visual analog scale (VAS) of pain, IC symptom index, IC problem index, O’Leary-Sant symptom score, and GRA improved in all patients. The level of urothelial barrier function protein and cell proliferation protein expression in the patients with IC/BPS was increased after repeat intravesical PRP injections. Intravesical repeat PRP injections may have potential to improve urothelial health and result in symptoms improvement in the patients with IC/BPS.

Source: Jhang J, et al. IMPROVED UROTHELIAL CELL PROLIFERATION, CYTOSKELETON AND BARRIER FUNCTION PROTEIN EXPRESSION IN THE PATIENTS WITH INTERSTITIAL CYSTITIS/BLADDER PAIN SYNDROME AFTER INTRAVESICAL PLATELET-RICH PLASMA INJECTION. Neurourol J. 2022 Jan 20

Does Platelet-rich Plasma Help Bladder Healing?

Researchers in Italy reviewed the efficacy of intravesical Platelet Rich Plasma injections in subjects with IC/BPS. Treatment with PRP appears to show less bleeding, fewer inflammatory cytokines and an increase in the healthy division of urothelial cells in animal testing. In the three clinical trials reviewed, patients who underwent monthly PRP injections were found to have a statistically significant improvement in symptoms with modulation of growth factors and inflammatory proteins. This suggests that this treatment could improve urothelial regeneration and reduce chronic inflammation.

Spirce: Trama F, et al. USE OF INTRAVESICAL INJECTIONS OF PLATELET-RICH PLASMA FOR THE TREATMENT OF BLADDER PAIN SYNDROME: A COMPREHENSIVE LITERATURE REVIEW. Antibiotics (Basel). 2021 Oct 1;10(10):1194

By Jill Osborne|2022-02-19T16:54:57-08:00February 19th, 2022|Our Blog, Research|Comments Off

About the Author: Jill Osborne

My Google Profile+ Jill Heidi Osborne is the president and founder of the Interstitial Cystitis Network, a health education company dedicated to interstitial cystitis, bladder pain syndrome and other pelvic pain disorders. As the editor and lead author of the ICN and the IC Optimist magazine, Jill is proud of the academic recognition that her website has achieved. The University of London rated the ICN as the top IC website for accuracy, credibility, readability and quality. (Int Urogynecol J - April 2013). Harvard Medical School rated both Medscape and the ICN as the top two websites dedicated to IC. (Urology - Sept 11). For many years, Jill served on the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Panel (US Army) where she collaborated with researchers to evaluate new IC research studies for possible funding. Jill has conducted and/or collaborates on a variety of IC research studies on new therapeutics, pain care, sexuality, the use of medical marijuana, menopause and the cost of treatments, shining a light on issues that influence patient quality of life. An IC support group leader and national spokesperson for the past 20 years, she has represented the IC community on radio, TV shows, at medical conferences. She has written hundreds of articles on IC and its related conditions. Jill has a Bachelors Degree in Pharmacology and a Masters in Psychology, Jill was named Presidential Management Intern (aka Fellowship) while in graduate school. (She was unable to earn her PhD due to the onset of her IC.) She spends the majority of her time providing WELLNESS COACHING for patients in need and developing new, internet based educational and support tools for IC patients, including new live IC Support Group Meetings via Youtube and the “Living with IC” video series. Jill was diagnosed with IC at the age of 32 but first showed symptoms at the age of 12.