The urinary bladder is a hollow organ made up of smooth muscle cells (SMC). The relaxation and contraction of urinary bladder smooth muscle allows the bladder to store and void urine, respectively. Phenotypic modulation of bladder SMC and the expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase are associated with various pathological conditions, including bladder dysfunction. Studies have shown that hypoxia inhibits human bladder SMC proliferation and bladder SMC differentiation is dependent on factors released from urothelial cells. The secretory phenotype of the bladder SMC extracellular matrix can be altered by the frequency of mechanical deformation experienced by these cells. SMC proliferation is a major contributing factor to the development and progression of a variety of diseases. As a result, understanding SMC changes during the genesis and maintenance of disease is vital to the development of therapeutic approaches. HBdSMC from ScienCell Research Laboratories are isolated from human bladder tissue. HBdSMC are cryopreserved at passage one and delivered frozen. Each vial contains >5 x 105 cells in 1 ml volume. HBdSMC are characterized by immunofluorescence with antibodies specific to α-smooth muscle actin. HBdSMC are negative for HIV-1, HBV, HCV, mycoplasma, bacteria, yeast and fungi. HBdSMC are guaranteed to further expand for 15 population doublings under the conditions provided by ScienCell Research Laboratories. Recommended Medium It is recommended to use Smooth Muscle Cell Medium (SMCM, Cat. #1101) for the culturing of HBdSMC in vitro.