{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,16]],"date-time":"2026-02-16T08:58:11Z","timestamp":1771232291324,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":35,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,1,3]],"date-time":"2025-01-03T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1735862400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Fondef IDeA","award":["ID23I10045"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["ID23I10045"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Biology"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Urinary incontinence is a widespread issue, particularly among women, with effective treatments remaining elusive. The pig, and especially the female pig, stands as a promising animal model for the study of this condition, due to its anatomical similarities to humans. The aim of this study was to explore the largely uncharted muscular structure of the female pig urethra, linking urethral muscle dysfunction to incontinence. We examined histological sections from the urethras of six sows using Hematoxylin-Eosin and Masson\u2019s trichrome staining for morphometric analysis. The statistical significance of cellular disposition was determined through analysis of variance (ANOVA), followed by a Tukey post hoc test to elucidate specific inter-group differences. Our analysis revealed segment-specific epithelial differences, including variations in cell layers, sparse acinar glands, rich vasculature, and distinct muscle fibers with diverse regional distributions. Notably, significant differences in muscular area and tissue distribution were identified between the proximal, middle, and distal segments of the urethra (p &lt; 0.001). The observed anatomical variations, along with the cellular similarities between pigs and humans, establish the female pig as a crucial translational model for advancing urological research. Specifically, these findings provide a foundation for the development of innovative therapeutic strategies and surgical techniques that can be directly applied to improve outcomes in human urological conditions.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/biology14010031","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,1,3]],"date-time":"2025-01-03T05:02:02Z","timestamp":1735880522000},"page":"31","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["An Exploration of the Cellular Microenvironment of the Female Pig Urethra: Translational Insights for Urological Research"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"14","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0000-4092-306X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Agust\u00edn","family":"Cartes","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Escuela de Medicina Veterinaria, Facultad de Ciencias de la Vida, Universidad Andres Bello, Rep\u00fablica 239 3\u00b0 Piso, Santiago 8370146, Chile"},{"name":"Programa de Doctorado en Ciencias Silvoagropecuarias y Veterinarias, Campus Sur, Universidad de Chile, Santa Rosa 11315, La Pintana, Santiago 8820808, Chile"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9499-4314","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Caroll","family":"Stoore","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Escuela de Medicina Veterinaria, Facultad de Ciencias de la Vida, Universidad Andres Bello, Rep\u00fablica 239 3\u00b0 Piso, Santiago 8370146, Chile"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9414-4480","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Mar\u00eda Soledad","family":"Baquedano","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Escuela de Medicina Veterinaria, Facultad de Ciencias de la Vida, Universidad Andres Bello, Rep\u00fablica 239 3\u00b0 Piso, Santiago 8370146, Chile"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0780-6969","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Christian","family":"Hidalgo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"N\u00facleo de Investigaci\u00f3n en One Health (NIOH), Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Agronom\u00eda, Universidad de las Am\u00e9ricas, Santiago 8370065, Chile"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Felipe","family":"Lillo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Escuela de Medicina Veterinaria, Facultad de Ciencias de la Vida, Universidad Andres Bello, Rep\u00fablica 239 3\u00b0 Piso, Santiago 8370146, Chile"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0573-3305","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Eduardo","family":"Landerer","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Unidad Urolog\u00eda, Centro de Cirug\u00eda Rob\u00f3tica, Cl\u00ednica Indisa, Santa Mar\u00eda 1810, Providencia, Santiago 7520440, Chile"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8415-7918","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Galia","family":"Ram\u00edrez-Toloza","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Departamento de Medicina Preventiva Animal, Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias y Pecuarias, Universidad de Chile, Santa Rosa 11735, La Pintana, Santiago 8820808, Chile"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5909-9362","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Rodolfo","family":"Paredes","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Escuela de Medicina Veterinaria, Facultad de Ciencias de la Vida, Universidad Andres Bello, Rep\u00fablica 239 3\u00b0 Piso, Santiago 8370146, Chile"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,1,3]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1306","DOI":"10.1016\/j.eururo.2006.09.019","article-title":"Population-based survey of urinary incontinence, overactive bladder, and other lower urinary tract symptoms in five countries: Results of the EPIC study","volume":"50","author":"Irwin","year":"2006","journal-title":"Eur. 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