Fig. 4

Evaluation of bladder detrusor contraction in asthmatic rats. The contraction of detrusor strips in asthmatic and normal rats was compared under the induction of agonist and KCl. To eliminate heterogeneities due to individual variations or different smooth muscle content in each strip, tensions were expressed as percentage of contraction (%) induced by high molar KCl. The contraction of the detrusor muscle was compared between the asthma group and the control group induced by a gradient of concentrations of three agonists (acetylcholine (A), carbachol (B) and acetyl-β-methylcholine (C)). KCl-induced contractions of detrusor strips in an organ bath were first assessed, followed by gradient concentration agonist-induced contraction of the detrusor muscle. Data are mean ± SEM from a series of tissues from rats (n = 6) for the asthma group and control group. *P < 0.05 for control vs. asthma