RESEARCH

Interstitial cystitis (IC) is a disease of the lower urinary tract without characteristic pathohistology or bacterial infection. The pathogenesis of IC is most likely multifactorial, and currently proposed etiologies include urothelial cell dysfunction, immunological abnormalities, mast cell involvement, and neurological causes. The diagnosis of IC is up to now limited to exclusion tests of other urinary tract diseases and an effective cure for this disease is still unknown.

Our main goal in this research topic is to better understand the molecular mechanisms of urothelial hypersensitivity in chronic inflammation present in IC. Thus, epigenetic, proteomic and cell biological analysis are combined to provide evidence relevant to both better diagnostics and possible new treatment involving selected cannabinoids that can reduce bladder inflammation.

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Current project:

"Inflammatory process in interstitial cystitis and evaluation of the action of cannabinoid receptors of the bladder - from cells to the patient" (funding by ARRS 2019 – 2023).

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Notable publications:

• PESKAR, Dominika, KEREC KOS, Mojca, CERKVENIK, Uroš, NEMEC SVETE, Alenka, ERMAN, Andreja. Sex-Dependent Differences in Blood-Urine Barrier Are Subtle but Significant in Healthy and Chronically Inflamed Mouse Bladders. International journal of molecular sciences. 2023, vol. 24, iss. 22, str. 16296. ISSN 1422-0067. DOI: 10.3390/ijms242216296.

• PESKAR, Dominika, KURET, Tadeja, LAKOTA, Katja, ERMAN, Andreja. Molecular Profiling of Inflammatory Processes in a Mouse Model of IC/BPS: From the Complete Transcriptome to Major Sex-Related Histological Features of the Urinary Bladder. International journal of molecular sciences. 2023, vol. 24, iss. 6, 5758. ISSN 1422-0067. DOI: 10.3390/ijms24065758.

• KURET, Tadeja, ERDANI-KREFT, Mateja, ROMIH, Rok, VERANIČ, Peter. Cannabidiol as a promising therapeutic option in IC/BPS: in vitro evaluation of its protective effects against inflammation and oxidative stress. International journal of molecular sciences. 2023, vol. 24, iss. 5, str. [1]-20, ilustr. ISSN 1422-0067. https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/24/5/5055, DOI: 10.3390/ijms24055055

• KURET, Tadeja, PESKAR, Dominika, ERDANI-KREFT, Mateja, ERMAN, Andreja, VERANIČ, Peter. Comprehensive transcriptome profiling of urothelial cells following TNFα stimulation in an in vitro interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome model. Frontiers in immunology. Aug. 2022, vol. 13, str. 1-16, ilustr. ISSN 1664-3224. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2022.960667/full, DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.960667.

• PESKAR, Dominika, KURET, Tadeja, JERUC, Jera, ERMAN, Andreja. Lectins as biomarkers of IC/BPS disease: a comparative study of glycosylation patterns in human pathologic urothelium and IC/BPS experimental models. Diagnostics, ISSN 2075-4418, Mar. 2022, vol. 12 1-16, doi: 10.3390/diagnostics12051078.

• KURET, Tadeja, PESKAR, Dominika, ERMAN, Andreja, VERANIČ, Peter. A systematic review of therapeutic approaches used in experimental models of interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome. Biomedicines, ISSN 2227-9059. 2021, vol. 9, 1-23, doi: 10.3390/biomedicines9080865.