Pilot Proteomic Analysis of Urinary Extracellular Vesicles Supports the "Toxic Urine Hypothesis" as a Vicious Cycle in Refractory IC/BPS Pathogenesis.

ABSTRACT: Despite treatments such as pentosan polysulfate, hyaluronic acid, botulinum toxin A, and platelet-rich plasma, many interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS) patients experience persistent symptoms. Urinary extracellular vesicles (uEVs) carry molecular cargo reflecting disease pathophysiology, yet their proteomic profiles in treated IC/BPS remain unexplored. This pilot study examined uEV proteomics in refractory IC/BPS cases to test the "Toxic Urine Hypothesis"-a vicious cycle, whereby urothelial dysfunction enables EV-mediated toxin penetration, triggering inflammation that further impairs the bladder barrier. Urinary EVs were isolated from six female IC/BPS patients on active treatments and four healthy female controls. Mass spectrometry-based proteomics identified differentia

SUBMITTER: Hung MJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12786074 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature