Phenotypic modulation of bladder smooth muscle in diabetic rats / 南方医科大学学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate whether phenotypic modulation of bladder smooth muscle occurs in diabetic rats.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Thirty-two male SD rats were randomly assigned into diabetic group and control group. Diabetic rat models were established by a single intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin (60 mg/kg). Nine weeks later, the bladder tissues of the rats were examined for structural changes using HE and Masson's trichrome staining , and the expressions of myocardin, α-SMA, and SMMHC in bladder smooth muscles were detected with RT-PCR and Western blotting.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Compared with the control group, the diabetic rats showed obvious polydipsia and polyuria with significantly increased collagenous fibers and lowered expressions of myocardin, α-SMA, and SMMHC in the bladder tissue (P<0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>s In rats at 9 weeks after diabetic model establishment, phenotypic transition of the bladder smooth muscles occurs to cause bladder contractile dysfunction, which may play an important role in the pathology of diabetic bladder dysfunction.</p>

Total triterpenoids from Ganoderma Lucidum suppresses prostate cancer cell growth by inducing growth arrest and apoptosis / 华中科技大学学报（医学）（英德文版）

In this study, one immortalized human normal prostatic epithelial cell line (BPH) and four human prostate cancer cell lines (LNCaP, 22Rv1, PC-3, and DU-145) were treated with Ganoderma Lucidum triterpenoids (GLT) at different doses and for different time periods. Cell viability, apoptosis, and cell cycle were analyzed using flow cytometry and chemical assays. Gene expression and binding to DNA were assessed using real-time PCR and Western blotting. It was found that GLT dose-dependently inhibited prostate cancer cell growth through induction of apoptosis and cell cycle arrest at G1 phase. GLT-induced apoptosis was due to activation of Caspases-9 and -3 and turning on the downstream apoptotic events. GLT-induced cell cycle arrest (mainly G1 arrest) was due to up-regulation of p21 expression at the early time and down-regulation of cyclin-dependent kinase 4 (CDK4) and E2F1 expression at the late time. These findings demonstrate that GLT suppresses prostate cancer cell growth by inducing growth arrest and apoptosis, which might suggest that GLT or Ganoderma Lucidum could be used as a potential therapeutic drug for prostate cancer.

Platelet-derived growth factor-BB induces phenotypic transformation of corpus cavernosum smooth muscle cells in SD rats / 中华男科学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To evaluate the effect of the platelet-derived growth factor-BB (PDGF-BB) on the phenotypic transformation of corpus cavernosum smooth muscle cells (CCSMC) in SD rats.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>CCSMCs were primarily cultured in the modified tissue sticking medium and subjected to immunofluorescence assay. The cells were divided into a blank control and four PDGF-BB groups, the latter exposed to 5, 10, 20, and 40 ng/ml of PDGF-BB, respectively, for 24 hours, and the cells in the 20 ng/ml PDGF-BB group treated for 24, 48, and 72 hours. The the relative expressions of α-SMA, SMMHC, calponin, and OPN mRNA were determined by real-time fluorescence quantitative RT-PCR (qRT-PCR).</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The α-SMA positive rate of the CCSMCs was over 95%. Compared with the blank control group, the expression levels of α-SMA, SMMHC, and calponin mRNA were significantly decreased (P < 0.05) while that of OPN mRNA remarkably increased (P < 0.05) in the PDGF-BB groups. The 20 ng/ml PDGF-BB group also showed significantly downregulated expressions of α-SMA, SMMHC, and calponin mRNA (P < 0.05) and upregulated expression of OPN mRNA (P < 0.05) at 24, 48, and 72 hours.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>PDGF-BB can induce the transformation of the phenotype of CCSMCs in SD rats from the contractile to the synthetic type.</p>

Transperitoneal versus extraperitoneal laparoscopic radical prostatectomy for localized prostate cancer: a meta analysis / 中华男科学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To evaluate the effects and safety of transperitoneal laparoscopic radical prostatectomy (TLRP) and extraperitoneal laparoscopic radical prostatectomy (ELRP) in the treatment of localized prostate cancer.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>We searched the Cochrane Library, Medline, Chinese Journal Full-text Database, Wanfang and CBM for clinical controlled trials addressing TLRP and ELRP in the treatment of localized prostate cancer. Two independent reviewers extracted comparable data from eligible studies and performed meta-analysis with the Statal 2.0 software on the relevant indexes of operation time, intraoperative blood loss, postoperative catheterization, postoperative intestinal function recovery, and postoperative hospital stay.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Nine clinical controlled trials with 942 cases were included in this analysis, 492 treated by TLRP and the other 450 by ELRP. Meta-analysis showed no statistically significant differences between the TLRP and ELRP groups in operation time (SMD = 0.60, 95% CI: -0.06,1.26), intraoperative blood loss (SMD = 0.01, 95% CI: -0.35, 0.36) , postoperative catheterization time (SMD = 0.10, 95% CI: -0.21, 0.40) and postoperative hospital stay (SMD = 0.45, 95% CI: -0.01, 0.91), except in the time of postoperative intestinal function recovery, which was significantly shorter in the ELRP than in the TLRP group (SMD = 1.18, 95% CI: 0.26, 2.10).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>For the treatment of localized prostate cancer, ELRP is similar to TLRP with respect to operation time, intraoperative blood loss, postoperative catheterization and postoperative hospital stay, but superior to the latter in postoperative intestinal function recovery.</p>

Role of miR-145 in erectile dysfunction in diabetic rats / 南方医科大学学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the role of miR-145 in the corpus cavernosum smooth muscle tissue in the pathogenesis of erectile dysfunction (ED) in diabetic rats.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The total RNA was extracted from the corpus cavernosum of a diabetic rat model with ED, diabetic rats with normal erectile function and normal rats, and the expression levels of miR145 were compared between the groups.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The expression of miR-145 was decreased in the corpus cavernosum of diabetic rats with ED.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Diabetes mellitus can cause ED in rats, in which process decreased expression of miR145 in the corpus cavernosum may play a role.</p>

Microarray data analysis of genes related with erectile dysfunction in diabetic rats / 南方医科大学学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the changes of gene expression profiles associated with erectile dysfunction in diabetic rats.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Affymetrix Gene Chip arrays from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) were used to examine the alterations in the gene expression profiles between streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats and littermate controls, and the data were analyzed with GeneSifter microarray analysis software.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>A total of 661 differentially expressed genes were identified, including 280 up-regulated and 381 down-regulated ones. Among the differentially expressed genes, kruppel-like factor 5 (klf5) was upregulated by 4.01 folds and ceruloplasmin(cp) by 5.14 folds; collagen, type XI, alpha1 was down-regulated by 5.84 folds and collagen, type I, alpha1 by 5.77 folds. The 661 differentially expressed genes involved such functional processes as glycoprotein biosynthesis, collagen fibril organization, angiogenesis in wound healing, triglyceride metabolism, cell proliferation and other important biological processes, and some pathways also involved such as fatty acid metabolism, neurodegenerative disorders, and ECM-receptor interactions.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Some genes such as klf5, cp, and collagen play important roles in the pathophysiology of diabetes-induced erectile dysfunction. Bioinformatic approaches offer a new means for identifying candidate genes and pathways relevant to the pathophysiology of diabetes-induced erectile dysfunction, highlighting also the potential complexity of this disorder.</p>

Calcitonin gene-related peptide induces phenotypic transformation of corpus cavernosum smooth muscle cells in diabetic rats with erectile dysfunction / 中华男科学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the effect of the calcitonin gene related peptide (CGRP) on the phenotypic transformation of corpus cavernosum smooth muscle cells (CCSM) in diabetic rats with erectile dysfunction (ED).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Models of diabetes and diabetic ED were established in male Sprague-Dawley rats by administration of streptozotocin, and CCSMs were primarily cultured and subjected to immunocytochemical assay. The cells were divided into a diabetic ED and a normal control group, and exposed to 0, 10, 60 and 100 nmol/L of CGRP for 24 hours. Then the relative expressions of calponin 1 (Cnn1) and osteopontin (OPN) mRNA were determined by real-time fluorescence quantitative RT-PCR (qRT-PCR).</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The rate of SMalpha-actin positive cells in the CCSMs was (95.94 +/- 0.03) %. The expression of Cnn1 mRNA was significantly lower while that of OPN mRNA remarkably higher in the diabetic ED rats (4.41 +/- 0.29 and 5.28 +/- 0.32) than in the normal controls (10.35 +/- 0.62 and 1.32 +/- 0.24) (P < 0.01). Exposure to 100 nmol/L of CGRP significantly upregulated the expression of Cnn1 mRNA and downregulated that of OPN mRNA as compared with the unexposed rats (6.9 +/- 0.22 vs 4.41 +/- 0.29 and 3.26 +/- 0.31 vs 5.28 +/- 0.32, P < 0.01).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>CGRP can transform the phenotype of CCSMs in diabetic ED rats from contractile to synthetic type.</p>

Retroperitoneal laparoscopic surgery combined with ureteroscopic lithotomy for treatment of renal and ureteral calculi / 南方医科大学学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To evaluate the feasibility of retroperitoneal laparoscopic surgery combined with ureteroscopic lithotomy through the pelvis for treatment of renal and ureteral calculi.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>In February 2010, 2 patients with renal and ureteral calculi underwent retroperitoneal laparoscopic surgery combined with ureteroscopic lithotomy through the pelvis.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The operation time in these two cases was 70 and 80 min, and the volume of intraoperative blood loss was about 20 ml. The exposure was excellent, and the patient recovered rapidly without complications or residual calculi.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Retroperitoneal laparoscopic surgery combined with ureteroscopic lithotomy through the pelvis is feasible for treatment of renal and ureteral calculi.</p>

Establishment of a cell culture model of corpus cavernosum smooth muscle cells derived from diabetic rats with erectile dysfunction / 南方医科大学学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the method for culturing corpus cavernosum smooth muscle cells (CCSMs) derived from diabetic rats with erectile dysfunction (ED) for the study of ED caused by diabetes.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>CCSMs were isolated from the corpus cavernosum of diabetic rats with ED and cultured using a modified method of adherent tissue culture. The cultured cells were identified by immunohistochemistry and the cell morphology and proliferation were observed.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The primary culture of CCSM was performed successfully, and the cells were seen to migrate from the small tissue pieces 3 days later, reaching nearly confluence in 16-18 days. A typical "hill-valley" growth pattern was noted in the cell passaging. Immunohistochemical staining for alpha-smooth muscle actin (alpha-SM-actin) and desmin yielded positive results in the cells.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The modified method for adherent tissue culture is convenient and reliable in establishing the in vitro cell culture model of CCSMs from diabetic rats with ED, and the cultured CCSMs display a faster proliferation than normal CCSMs. No obvious differences in the cell morphology can be found between diabetic and normal CCSMs under light microscope.</p>

A modified tissue culture method for culturing corpus cavernosum smooth muscle cells from the penis of Sprague-Dawley rats / 南方医科大学学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To culture rat corpus cavernosum smooth muscle cells in vitro using a modified tissue culture method.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Fifteen male rats were randomized into 3 equal groups, namely enzyme digestion group, tissue culture group, and modified tissue culture group. The penis of the rats was separated carefully and cut into small pieces, and seeded onto culture flasks and cultured in complete medium consisting of DMEM containing 20% fetal calf serum at 37 degrees C; in a humidified atmosphere with 5% carbon dioxide. The cells growth was observed under phase contrast microscope and the smooth muscle cell specific proteins alpha-SM-actin and desmin were identified immunohistochemically.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The alpha-SM-actin-positive cell rate was 96.3% in rat corpus cavernosum smooth muscle and 23.8% in the fibroblasts, and the corpus cavernosum smooth muscle contained 74.4% desmin-positive cells while the fibroblasts showed no desmin positivity. Significant difference was found in the positive cell rate for desmin among the 3 groups, with the highest positive cell rate occurred in modified tissue culture group.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Desmin may serve as a marker for identifying corpus cavernosum smooth muscle cells. The modified tissue culture method can result in highly purified corpus cavernosum smooth muscle cells with intact structure and functions.</p>

Phenotypic transformation of corpus cavernosum smooth muscle cells in hypertensive rats / 南方医科大学学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To validate the hypothesis that the phenotypic transformation occurs in the smooth muscle cells in the corpus cavernosum of hypertensive rat and explore its impact on the erectile function of rats.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Eighteen 16-week-old male spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and 10 syngeneic normotensive rats (WKY) were used in this experiment. After measurement of systolic blood pressure of the caudal artery and examination of the erectile function with subcutaneous injection of apomorphine (APO), the rats were divided into 3 groups, namely hypertensive with erectile dysfunction (HBP-ED) group (n=6), hypertensive (HBP) group (n=12) and control group (n=10). Immunohistochemical staining and color image analysis system were used to observe expression of calponin 1 and osteopontin (OPN) in rat corpus cavernosum. Real-time quantitative RT-PCR was used to determine the expression of calponin 1 and OPN mRNAs in different groups.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The expressions of calponin 1 protein and mRNA were the highest in the control group and the lowest in HBP-ED group, while the expressions of OPN protein and mRNA were the highest in HBP-ED group and the lowest in the control group.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The smooth muscle cells may transform from the contractile phenotype into synthetic phenotype in the corpus cavernosum of the hypertensive rats, resulting ultimately in erectile dysfunction.</p>

Establishment of a rat model of diabetic erectile dysfunction / 南方医科大学学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To establish a rat model of diabetic erectile dysfunction (ED) with streptozotocin (STZ) injection.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Thirty male rats were randomized equally into 5 groups (control group and STZ 40 mg/kg, 60 mg/kg, 80 mg/kg, and 100 mg/kg groups). All the rats were examined at 4 days and 1, 2, and 3 weeks after STZ injection for fasting blood glucose, erectile frequency induced by apomorpHine (APO) and body weight changes.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Significant difference occurred in the fasting food glucose among the groups at different time points (P=0.001), and also in APO-induced erectile frequency, fasting blood glucose and body weight between the groups with STZ injection at different doses (P<0.001, P=0.045 and P<0.001, respectively). No significant difference was found in induced erectile frequency and body weight between different time points (P=0.306 and P=0.628).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The optimal dose of STZ for establishing diabetic ED model is 60 mg/kg, and two weeks after the injection can be the optimal time for evaluating model establishment by means of APO-induced penis erection.</p>

Effect of elastic fiber alterations in the tunica albuginea of the penis on erectile function of diabetic rats / 南方医科大学学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the effect of elastic fiber alterations in the tunica albuginea of the penis on erectile function of diabetic rats.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Streptozotocin (STZ) injection was adopted to produce rat models of diabetes mellitus and erectile dysfunction. Forty rats were randomized equally into two groups according to the time after streptozotocin (STZ) injection, namely 4 week group and 7 week group. Each group was further divided into 4 subgroups, including a control group (n=5, without STZ injection), diabetic with erectile dysfunction group (DM and ED group), diabetic without erectile dysfunction group (DM group) and group with neither diabetes mellitus or erectile dysfunction after STZ injection (None group). Victoria blue/Ponceau red staining and color image analysis were used to observe the content of the elastic fibers in the tunica albuginea, which was quantified by means of integrated optical density (IOD) readings.</p><p><b>RESULT</b>Significant difference in the IOD was observed between different groups (F=10.433, P<0.001). The content of elastic fibers in the tunica albuginea was the lowest in DM and ED group among the 4 groups (P<0.05), and there was no significant difference between 7-week and 4 week groups (F=0.685, P=0.415), nor was any interaction observed (F=0.905, P=0.452).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Decreased elastic fibers in the tunica albuginea can result from diabetes mellitus. Elastic fibers in the tunica albuginea play an important role in the course of erection, and erectile dysfunction may result from decreased elastic fiber content.</p>

Advances in researches on the relationship between prostatic diseases and erectile dysfunction / 中华男科学杂志

Prostatic diseases and erectile dysfunction (ED) are common diseases in urology and andrology. Basic and clinical studies have proved that there is a close relationship between the two. This article reviews the mechanism, diagnosis and treatment of ED caused by several prostatic diseases, such as acute prostatitis, chronic prostatitis, benign prostate hyperplasia and prostate cancer.