Expression and proliferation profiles of PKC, JNK and p38MAPK in physiologically stretched human bladder smooth muscle cells

Optimum proliferation was observed at 5% equibiaxial stretch (BrdU: 0.837 ± 0.026 (control) to 1.462 ± 0.023)%, (P < 0.05) and apoptotic cell death rate decreased from 16.4 ± 0.21% (control) to 4.5 ± 0.13% (P < 0.05) applied at 0.1 Hz. Expression of PKC was upregulated with slight increase in JNK and no change in p38MAPK after application of stretch. Inhibition had effects on proliferation (1.075 ± 0.024, P < 0.05 GF109203X); (1.418 ± 0.021, P > 0.05 SP600125) and (1.461 ± 0.01, P > 0.05 SB203580). These findings show that mechanical stretch can promote magnitude-dependent proliferative modulation through PKC and possibly JNK but not via p38MAPK in hBSMCs.