Pharmacotherapy in detrusor underactivity: A new challenge for urologists and pharmacologists (from lab to clinic)

Higher incidence of functional urinary bladder dysfunction (detrusor overactivity – DO and detrusor underactivity – DU) occurs in elderly people. Effective therapy is widely used in patients with DO, in contrast DU seems to be a serious burden for the older population due to the lack of successful treatment. The aim of the study was to review the potential pharmacological targets in DU treatment in the animal model. This review is based on systemic literature research. The Medline/Pubmed, Scopus, Embase, and Web of Science databases were searched in order to identify original and review articles, as well as editorials relating to underactive bladder, detrusor underactivity. The following Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) terms were used to ensure the sensitivity of the searches: urinary bladder, animal models, humans and therapy. 19 papers met the criteria and were included for this review. 19 papers met the criteria and were included for this review. The pathophysiology of DU and its animal models were described. Moreover, the potential pharmacological targets in DU therapy were discussed, such as bombesin receptors, prostaglandin-, ATP-, NO-, CGRP-, SP-, Dopamine-, NGF-, M2-, and agrin-dependent pathways. In conclusion, due to the lack of effective treatment strategies in DU, further research is necessary. Close cooperation between urologists and pharmacologists should be maintained for optimal research on DU pharmacotherapy.