A novel rat model of seminal vesiculitis / 亚洲男科学杂志(英文版)

We aimed to establish a novel rat model of seminal vesiculitis that would provide an effective approach to investigate the pathogenesis of this disease in the future. Eight male rats received the same operation, during which the root of one of the two seminal vesicles was partly ligatured with sutures and the other vesicle was left intact. The samples of seminal vesicles were harvested on the 8th day following the operation. Hematoxylin and eosin and Masson's trichrome stains were used to observe the histopathology and the presence of fibrous tissue in seminal vesicles, respectively. Immunoblotting and immunohistochemistry were applied to determine the tumor necrosis factor-alpha and cyclooxygenase-2 levels in seminal vesicle tissues. Real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction was performed to measure the gene expression levels of proinflammatory cytokines. H2O2levelsin the seminal plasma from the seminal vesicle were also measured. Hematoxylin and eosin staining suggested that there was inflammatory cell infiltration into the seminal vesicles treated by partial root ligation. The tumor necrosis factor-alpha and cyclooxygenase-2 proteins were significantly upregulated in the treated seminal vesicles. The tumor necrosis factor-alpha, cyclooxygenase, interleukin 6, and inducible nitric oxide synthase mRNA expression levels were also upregulated in the treated seminal vesicles. The H2O2 levels in the seminal plasma from seminal vesicles with partial root ligation were significantly elevated compared with those from vesicle left intact. In conclusion, partially ligating the root of the seminal vesicle via sutures in rats is an effective method to establish a seminal vesiculitis rat model.

Five-Year Follow-Up Results of a Randomized Controlled Trial Comparing Bipolar Plasmakinetic and Monopolar Transurethral Resection of the Prostate

PURPOSE: To report the 5-year follow-up results of a randomized controlled trial comparing bipolar transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) with standard monopolar TURP for the treatment of benign prostatic obstruction (BPO). MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 220 patients were randomized to bipolar plasmakinetic TURP (PK-TURP) or monopolar TURP (M-TURP). Catheterization time was the primary endpoint of this study. Secondary outcomes included operation time, hospital stay, as well as decline in postoperative serum sodium and hemoglobin levels. All patients were assessed preoperatively and followed-up at 1, 6, 12, 24, 36, 48, and 60 months postoperatively. Parameters assessed included quality of life, transrectal ultrasound, serum prostate-specific antigen level, postvoid residual urine volume, maximum urinary flow rates (Qmax), and International Prostate Symptom Score. Patient baseline characteristics, perioperative data including complications, and postoperative outcomes were compared. Complication occurrence was graded according to the modified Clavien classification system. RESULTS: PK-TURP was significantly superior to M-TURP in terms of operation time, intraoperative irrigation volume, resected tissue weight, decreases in hemoglobin and sodium, postoperative irrigation volume and time, catheterization time, and hospital stay. At 5 years postoperatively, efficacy was comparable between arms. No differences were detected in safety outcomes except that the clot retention rate was significantly greater after M-TURP. CONCLUSION: Our results indicate that PK-TURP is equally as effective in the treatment of BPO, but has a more favorable safety profile in comparison to M-TURP. The clinical efficacy of PK-TURP is long-lasting and comparable with M-TURP.

Reconstruction of resected cavernous nerve / 中华男科学杂志

The injury of the penile cavernous nerve is a common cause of erectile dysfunction (ED). Reconstruction of the resected cavernous nerve can restore penile erectile function to normal. The methods for cavernous nerve repair include direct anastomosis, autotransplantation of the nerve, and substitution of the biodegradable artificial nerve, among which only autotransplantation of the sural nerve is used clinically at present. Besides, the nerve growth factor plays an important role in nerve reconstruction. This paper summarizes the methods of cavernous nerve reconstruction in the recent years.

Estradiol stimulates proliferation of prostatic smooth muscle cells via estrogen receptor alpha and IGF1 / 中华男科学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the effects of estrogen receptor alpha (ERa) and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1) on the proliferation of prostatic smooth muscle cells (PSMCs) in vitro.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The ERalpha shRNA expression frame was subcloned to the pGSadeno adenovirus vector by homologous recombination technology to construct the pGSaaeno-ERalpha vector. After the mouse PSMCs were transfected in vitro by pGSaaeno-ERalpha, the mRNA and protein expression levels of ERalpha were detected by RT-PCR and Western blot respectively. The expression of IGF1 in the ERa-reduced cells was determined by Western blot 6 hours after treatment with 17beta-estradiol (E2) at 10(-8) mol/L. The post-transfection activity of estrogen or exogenous IGF1 in the proliferation of PSMCs was evaluated by MTT chlormetric analysis.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>After treatment with E2, the proliferation of PSMCs and the expression of the IGF1 gene were significantly increased in the normal control group (P <0.05), but not obviously changed in the ERalpha-siRNA group (P> 0.05). And exogenous IGF1 failed to induce the proliferation of the ERalpha-reduced PSMCs.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>E2 induces the expression of IGF1 via ERalpha, and IGFl, with the interaction of ERalpha, promotes the proliferation of PSMCs.</p>

Bipolar transurethral resection of the prostate versus monopolar transurethral prostatectomy: a pathological study in a canine model / 中华男科学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To compare the postoperative depths of the coagulation zones and pathological changes between bipolar transurethral resection of the prostate with plasmakinetic energy (PKRP) and monopolar transurethral prostatectomy (TURP) in canines.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Twenty-five male dogs were randomly divided into a PKRP group (n = 12), a TURP group (n = 12) and a sham-operation control group (n = 1). The dogs were sacrificed, their prostates harvested at 0 week (immediately after surgery), 1 week, 2 weeks and 8 weeks postoperatively and sectioned for pathologic analysis and measurement of the coagulation zones.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>At 0, 1 and 2 weeks after the operation, the coagulation depths were (237.73 +/- 20.12) microm, (113.03 +/- 16.65) microm and (106.01 +/- 16.36) microm in the PKRP group, and (200.75 +/-19.34) microm, (129.46 +/- 17.81) microm and (116.04 +/- 25.67) microm in the TURP group (P < 0.01). At 8 weeks, the coagulation zones completely peeled off and the wounds were covered by regenerated urothelial in both of the groups. At 0, 1, 2 and 8 weeks, different inflammatory reactions were observed in the prostates of the PKRP and TURP groups, with some glandular lumens beneath the coagulation zones expanded and epithelia damaged. However, none of these phenomena occurred in the sham-operation control group.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Pathologically, PKRP and TURP inflicted basically similar effects on the prostate of the canine. However, the coagulation zone was deeper intraoperatively and became thinner postoperatively with the former than with the latter, which suggests that PKRP causes less bleeding and less penetrative thermal damage than TURP.</p>

Expression of transient receptor potential subfamily mRNAs in rat testes / 南方医科大学学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the expression of the mRNAs of transient receptor potential (TRP) gene subfamily TRPV and TRPM in rat testes.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Normal SD rat testes were collected and the expression of TRPV and TRPM mRNAs were detected by routine RT-PCR.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The TRPV4, TRPV5, TRPV6, TRPM3, TRPM4 and TRPM8 mRNAs were detected in the rat testes, but the other members of TRPV and TRPM family were not detected.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>TRPV4, TRPV5, TRPV6, TRPM3, TRPM4 and TRPM8 are expressed in rat testes. This finding provides the basis for exploring the functions of TRPV and TRPM in the testes and the relation between testis diseases and the TRP family.</p>

Effects of TRPM8 on the proliferation and motility of prostate cancer PC-3 cells / 亚洲男科学杂志(英文版)

We investigated the effects of transient receptor potential M8 (TRPM8) channel on the proliferation and motility of androgen-independent prostate cancer PC-3 cells. After being permanently transfected with an empty vector and cDNA encoding the TRPM8 protein, cells were analysed for cell cycle distribution and motility using flow cytometry and scratch assay. Immunocytochemistry and Ca2+ imaging analysis revealed the overexpression of functional TRPM8 channel on both endoplasmic reticulum and plasma membrane of PC-3-TRPM8 cells. Cell cycle distribution and scratch assay analysis revealed that TRPM8 induced cell cycle arrest at the G0/G1 stage (P < 0.05) and facilitated the cell apoptosis induced by starvation (P < 0.05). Furthermore, TRPM8 inhibited the migration of PC-3-TRPM8 cells (P < 0.01) through the inactivation of focal-adhesion kinase. It appears that TRPM8 was not essential for the survival of PC-3 cells; however, the overexpression of TRPM8 had negative effects on the proliferation and migration of PC-3 cells. Thus, TRPM8 and its agonists may serve as important targets for the treatment of prostate cancer.

Expression of TRPM and TRPV channel family mRNA in rat spermatogenic cells / 南方医科大学学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the expression of transient receptor potential melastatin (TRPM) and transient receptor potential vanilloid (TRPV) channel family genes in rat spermatogenic cells.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Rat spermatogenic cells were isolated by a mechanical procedure and the total RNA was extracted using TRIzol reagent. TRPM and TRPV channel family genes were amplified by RT-PCR and the presence of the target genes was detected by agarose gel electrophoresis. The relative gene expression levels were measured by real-time quantitative RT-PCR.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>TRPV5, TRPM3, TRPM4 and TRPM7 mRNAs were expressed in rat spermatogenic cells, but TRPV1, TRPV2, TRPV3, TRPV4, TRPV6, TRPM1, TRPM2, TRPM5, TRPM6, TRPM7 and TRPM8 mRNAs were not detected. The relative expressions of TRPM and TRPV mRNA were determined by quantitative real-time RT-PCR. TRPM7 expression was the highest among all the TRPM subtypes in rat spermatogenic cells, at a level equivalent to (0.0430-/+0.0034)% of beta-actin expression. TRPM3 and TRPM4 were also highly expressed, but their expression levels were only approximately 56% and 63% of that of TRPM7, respectively. For the TRPV subfamily, only TRPV5 mRNA was abundantly expressed at the level of (0.0157-/+0.0029)% relative to that of beta-actin.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>TRPV5, TRPM3, TRPM4 and TRPM7 mRNAs were coexpressed in spermatogenic cells in rats, among which TRPM4 and TRPM7 mRNA were expressed at high levels. TRPM4 and TRPM7 channels may be involved in the regulation of growth, differentiation and maturation of rat spermatogenic cells and are associated with the generation of the sperms.</p>

Dose and long-term effect of hIGF-1 injection for erectile dysfunction in aged rats / 中华男科学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the best dose and the long-term effect of the human insulin-like growth factor-1 (hIGF-1) gene injection into the penis of aged rats.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Included in this study were 10 young (4 months old) and 40 aged (24 months old) Sprague-Dawley male rats, the latter equally divided into a PBS control and a 10 microg, a 100 microg and a 1 000 microg hIGF-1 injection group. Electrical stimulation was conducted 4 and 8 weeks after hIGF-1 injection into the penile corpus cavernous of the rats to detect the intracavernous pressure (ICP) and mean arterial pressure (MAP). Dose - and time -associated therapeutic results were analyzed and the mRNA expression of hIGF-1 determined by RT - PCR.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>ICP, MAP and total ICP were significant decreased by electrical stimulation in the aged rats as compared with the young ones (P < 0.05), statistically increased in the three hIGF-1 dose groups in comparison with the PBS controls (P < 0.05), and showed no obvious difference between the young rats and the latter two dose groups at 4 and 8 weeks. Although less obvious effect was achieved in the 10 microg group than in the young rats, the therapeutic result was still of significance. The mRNA expression of the hIGF-1 gene was confirmed in all the hIGF-1 treated rats.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The hIGF-1 therapy can improve erectile function in aged rats, 100 microg suffices for effective erection and the effect may last at least 8 weeks for a single dose.</p>

Update of gene therapy for aging-related erectile dysfunction / 中华男科学杂志

The incidence of erectile dysfunction (ED) rises with the increase of age, for which gene therapy is a new option in the recent years. Different target genes, vehicles and therapeutic strategies have been tried and yielded good results. This paper offers an overview of the current advances in gene therapy for aging-related ED.

Distribution profiles of transient receptor potential melastatin-related and vanilloid-related channels in prostatic tissue in rat / 亚洲男科学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>AIM</b>To investigate the expression and distribution of the members of the transient receptor potential (TRP) channel members of TRP melastatin (TRPM) and TRP vanilloid (TRPV) subfamilies in rat prostatic tissue.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Prostate tissue was obtained from male Sprague-Dawley rats. Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) were used to check the expression of all TRPM and TRPV channel members with specific primers. Immunohistochemistry staining for TRPM8 and TRPV1 were also performed in rat tissues.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>TRPM2, TRPM3, TRPM4, TRPM6, TRPM7, TRPM8, TRPV2 and TRPV4 mRNA were detected in all rat prostatic tissues. Very weak signals for TRPM1, TRPV1 and TRPV3 were also detected. The mRNA of TRPM5, TRPV5 and TRPV6 were not detected in all RT-PCR experiments. Quantitative real-time RT-PCR showed that TRPM2, TRPM3, TRPM4, TRPM8, TRPV2 and TRPV4 were the most abundantly expressed TRPM and TRPV subtypes, respectively. Fluorescence immunohistochemistry indicated that TRPM8 and TRPV1 are highly expressed in both epithelial and smooth muscle cells.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Our results demonstrate that mRNA or protein for TRPM1, TRPM2, TRPM3, TRPM4, TRPM6, TRPM7, TRPM8, TRPV1, TRPV2, TRPV3 and TRPV4 exist in rat prostatic tissue. The data presented here assists in elucidating the physiological function of TRPM and TRPV channels.</p>

Improvement in erectile dysfunction after insulin-like growth factor-1 gene therapy in diabetic rats / 亚洲男科学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>AIM</b>To determine whether adenoviral gene transfer of insulin like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) to the penis of streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats could improve erectile capacity.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>THE STZ diabetic rats were transfected with AdCMV-betagal or AdCMV-IGF-1. These rats underwent cavernous nerve stimulation to assess erectile function and their responses were compared with those of age-matched control rats 1 to 2 days after transfection. In control and transfected STZ diabetic rats, IGF-1 expression were examined by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), Western blot and histology. The penis beta-galactosidase activity and localization of the STZ diabetic rats were also determined.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>One to two days after transfection, the beta-galactosidase was found in the smooth muscle cells of the diabetic rat penis transfected with AdCMV-betagal. One to 2 days after administration of AdCMV-IGF-1, the cavernosal pressure, as determined by the ratio of maximal intracavernous pressure-to-mean arterial pressure (ICP/MAP) and total intracavernous pressure (ICP), was increased in response to cavernous nerve stimulation. Transgene expression was confirmed by RT-PCR, Western blot and histology.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Gene transfer of IGF-1 significantly increased erectile function in the STZ diabetic rats. These results suggest that in vivo gene transfer of IGF-1 might be a new therapeutic intervention for the treatment of erectile dysfunction (ED) in the STZ diabetic rats.</p>

Prevalence and risk factors of erectile dysfunction in three cities of China: a community-based study / 亚洲男科学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>AIM</b>To determine the age-adjusted prevalence of erectile dysfunction (ED) in 3 big cities of China and to explore its potential sociodemographic, medical and lifestyle correlates.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A cross-sectional, population-based survey was conducted in three cities of China. Structured questionnaires were administered to 2 226 men, aged 20 - 86 years, by trained interviewers.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The age-adjusted prevalence of ED was 28.34 % (mild 15.99 %, moderate 7.14 %, severe 5.21 %). In the men above 40, the prevalence was 40.2 %. Age was positively correlated with ED (P<0.01). Education was negatively correlated with ED (P<0.01). Spouse companionship, living condition were positively correlated with ED (P<0.01). Histories of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and hyperlipidemia were positively correlated with ED (P<0.01). Cigarette smoking was not correlated with ED (P>0.05), while the cigarette consumption and duration were positively correlated with ED (P<0.01). Alcohol drinking is negatively correlated with ED (P<0.01). The duration of drinking was positively correlated with ED (P<0.01). Weekly alcohol consumption was not correlated with ED (P>0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The prevalence of ED increased with age. Cardiovascular disease, diabetes and hyperlipidemia were positively correlated with the increased prevalence. Sociodemographic and lifestyle factors, such as education, spouse companionship, living condition, cigarette and alcohol consumption or duration also have association with the prevalence of ED.</p>