Neuroprotective effect of docosahexaenoic acid nanoemulsion on erectile function in a rat model of bilateral cavernous nerve injury

Abstract

There is an unmet need for treatment of erectile dysfunction resulting from radical prostatectomy and cavernous nerve (CN) injury. Given the neuroprotective properties of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), we investigated its effect on penile functional and structural recovery in a rat model of bilateral cavernous nerve injury. Rats were subject to CN injury and received intraperitoneal administration of either vehicle or a DHA nanoemulsion (nano-DHA) at 10, 50, or 250 μg/kg. Functional testing and histological analyses were performed at 28 days post-injury. The maximum intracavernosal pressure (ICP) and other measures of erectile function were significantly higher in the nano-DHA groups than in the vehicle group (p < 0.05). The ratio of area of expression of neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS)/β-III tubulin, numbers of axon and smooth muscle cell content were significantly higher in the 50 μg/kg nano-DHA group than in the vehicle group (p < 0.05). A qualitative increase in the smooth muscle cells/collagen ratio and decrease in apoptosis was observed in the nano-DHA groups relative to the vehicle group: however, these differences were not statistically significant. Our data demonstrate that nano-DHA, particularly the 50 μg/kg regimen, improves erectile function after bilateral CN injury in rats by neuroprotection and other anti-fibrotic and anti-apoptotic mechanisms.

428 The Effect of Cavernous Nerve Traction on Erectile Function In Rats

“…Our results showed that the nNOS content in both the MPG and the dorsal penile nerve was reduced in the CN traction group, which is consistent with results in other CN injury models [9,24,25]. The number of neurofilament-positive nerve fibers in the dorsal penile nerve also declined, indicating that the axon contents were decreased after CN traction, which is also consistent with previous studies [26,27]. These findings suggest that CN traction could impair erectile function by reducing both the total number of nerve fibers and the number of nNOS-positive nerve fibers in the dorsal penile nerve.…”

Transdermal water-in-oil nanocarriers of nitric oxide for triggering penile erection

“…Consequently, the elevated NOx level after application of the NE with NO is safe and only affects penile erection. Further safety investigation (e.g., tissue sectioning and image analysis using alternative animal experiments) can strengthen our conclusion 21 .…”

072 S-nitrosylation of NOS Pathway Mediators in the Penis Contributes to Cavernous Nerve Injury-induced Erectile Dysfunction

“…S-nitrosylation of nNOS and the consequent decrease in this enzyme's activity has been documented in primary cortical and hippocampal neurons (35,45) and brainstem (46). Our findings imply that S-nitrosylation mainly affects eNOS and its downstream signaling in the neuropathic penis induced by cavernous nerve injury, while other modifications of nNOS, such as decreased synthesis (8,13,14,47,48) may be primarily responsible for neurogenic ED in this condition. It is also possible that nNOS is S-nitrosylated in the neuropathic penis but to a smaller extent than eNOS, making this posttranslational modification hard to detect with available techniques.…”