Aim. To analyze some effects of plasma acid in vitro on the bladder tissue obtained from laboratory animals and to evaluate the possibility of its application for in vitro modeling of IC/BPS.
Materials and methods. The tissue samples of the bladder wall were obtained from female Wistar rats aged 3 months (n=16, weighing 180–200 g). The tissues were processed for 1 hour in the plasma acid prepared by spark discharge of water for injection in air. The immunohistochemical study of obtained samples was performed.
Results. The changes in the expression profile of bladder epithelial cells under the action of plasma acid in vitro were found indicating the development of oxidative, nitrosative and dicarbonyl stress, impaired expression of NADPH oxidase DUOX2 and VEGF, and a decrease in cell proliferative activity, which, in general, corresponds to the main mechanisms of urothelial alterations specific for the IC/BPS.
Conclusion. The revealed effects of plasma acid on bladder epithelial cells confirm the possibility of using it as an inducer of urothelial cell damage typical for IC/BPS in the in vitro models.

Keywords: oxidative and nitrosative stress, bladder pain syndrome, urothelium, interstitial cystitis