ABSTRACT
Hypoxia is an independent risk factor of erectile dysfunction (ED), and the mechanisms of hypoxia causing ED are varied and complicated. Traditional studies related are concentrated on the changes of the corpus cavernosal endothelium and hormone levels in the body but have failed to achieve notable breakthroughs. Recent researches have demonstrated that such alterations in the corpus cavernosal microstructure as decreased corpus cavernosum smooth muscle cells of the contractile phenotype and fibrillation of the corpus cavernosum may be two important factors of hypoxia-induced ED. This review gives a brief introduction of the management of hypoxia-induced ED with the strategies of intervening in the corpus cavernosal microstructural changes, such as gene therapy, stem cell therapy, and induction of cell autophagy.
ABSTRACT
The correlation between hypoxia and erectile dysfunction (ED) has been universally acknowledged for decades in the academic world. The phenotypic modulation of corpus cavernosum smooth muscle cells (CCSMCs) is regarded as one of the factors of hypoxia-induced ED, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Recent researches show some correlation between autophagy and phenotypic modulation of CCSMCs, which may be associated with the overexpressions of PDGF, TGF-β, and vasoactive factors in the organism following hypoxia.