The role of netrin-1 in the diagnosis and prognosis of bladder pain syndrome /interstitial cystitis: a comparative study.

PURPOSE

To investigate the diagnostic and prognostic value of netrin-1 in Bladder Pain Syndrome /Interstitial Cystitis (BPS/IC).

METHODS

A total of 40 BPS/IC patients, 20 patients with overactive bladder (OAB), and 20 healthy controls were included. Baseline data of all participants were collected. Plasma netrin-1 expression levels were measured before treatment and two months after treatment. Statistical significance of differences among the three groups was analyzed. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was used to evaluate the diagnostic and prognostic value of netrin-1.

RESULTS

The netrin-1 expression level in the BPS/IC group was 777.37 ± 268.02 pg/ml, which was significantly higher than in the other two groups (P < 0.001). No significant difference in netrin-1 expression was observed between the OAB group and the healthy control group. Netrin-1 expression was positively correlated with ICSI, ICPI, and VAS scores. The netrin-1 expression level two months after treatment in the BPS/IC group was 485.06 ± 135.99 pg/ml, which was significantly lower than before treatment CONCLUSION: Netrin-1 can serve as a diagnostic and prognostic biomarker for BPS/IC. However, the underlying mechanisms of netrin-1 in BPS/IC remain unclear and require further investigation.