The concentration of elastic fibres in the male urethra during human fetal development

Bastos, Ana L.; Silva, Eloisio A.; Costa, Waldemar S.; Sampaio, Francisco J.B.

doi:10.1111/j.1464-410x.2004.05012.x

Cited by 39 publications

(34 citation statements)

References 23 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…12 Elastic and collagen fibers are important penile constituents and maintain the penile structure during erection, and allow adequate resistance during the return to the nonerect state. [13][14][15][16] The literature available has been focusing on the general morphology of the rabbit penis. 17,18 Therefore, no information is available on qualitative or quantitative connective tissue elements.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Concentration of elastic system fibers in the corpus cavernosum, corpus spongiosum, and tunica albuginea in the rabbit penis

et al. 2005

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The corpus cavernosum (CC) extracellular matrix is essential for normal penile erection and is implicated in erectile dysfunction. Although investigations of these issues have used the rabbit CC, organization of its components is not well known to date. We characterized and quantified the volumetric density (Vv) of the elastic system fibers in the corpus spongiosum (CS), CC and tunica albuginea (TA) of the rabbit penis. Adult New Zealand rabbits (n ¼ 10) were used. The penile midshaft fragments were fixed with 4% phosphate-buffered formalin solution and/or Bouin's liquid for 24-48 h, and processed using standard histological techniques. The sections were stained with Weigert's Fucsin-Resorcin with previous oxidation. The elastic system fibers Vv (%) was determined in 25 random fields of each fragment, using the M-42 test grid. The histochemical methods detected elastic system fibers in CS, CC and TA of all animals. The Vv of elastic fibers average was 25.0372.0% for CC, 32.2371.41% for CS and 22.3873.61% for TA. Results for CC and CS were not significantly different. The great amount of elastic fibers distribution beneath the endothelium suggest that these fibers may have an important role in the erection process in rabbits. The present data should therefore provide important information for devising experiments and interpreting results when using the rabbit penis as a model for penile dysfunctions, especially when making comparisons with humans.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Concentration of elastic system fibers in the corpus cavernosum, corpus spongiosum, and tunica albuginea in the rabbit penis

et al. 2005

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Smooth muscle cells, elastic system fibers, and collagen fibers are important penile structures involved in the erection process. These structures also give required rigidity to the penis when in a flaccid state (2,3). Several studies have reported functional and morphological changes that take place during the erection process in different animal models (4,5) and also in humans (6,7).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sinusoidal Constriction and Vascular Hypertrophy in the Diabetes-Induced Rabbit Penis

et al. 2013

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Objective: To assess the morphological changes of penile vascular structures and the corpus cavernosum area in alloxan-induced diabetic rabbits. Materials and Methods: Twenty male rabbits (2 months old) were divided into two groups with 10 rabbits each, the control group (CG) and the diabetic group (DG). The animals from DG received an intravenous injection of alloxan (100mg/kg) to induce the diabetes. Ten weeks after the induction of diabetes, all animals were euthanized. Two fragments of the penile shaft were harvested and samples were processed and paraffin embedded. Sections (5µm) were cut and stained for histological and immunohistochemical markers. Results: Nuclear protrusion toward the lumen, and cytoplasmic vacuolization were observed in the tunica intima of the dorsal artery of the penis in DG. The thicknesses of the tunica media increased significantly in DG (p = 0.0350). It was also observed a significant increase in the area of the tunica media (p = 0.0179). There was no significant change in smooth muscle cell density in the tunica media of the dorsal artery of the penis (p = 0.0855). The collagen fiber pattern of the tunica adventitia of the dorsal artery of the penis was different between the control and diabetic groups. There was a significant decrease in the area occupied by the cavernous sinuses in DG (p = 0.0013). Conclusion: Alloxan-induced diabetes mellitus in rabbits promotes important changes in penile vascular structures, thereby decreasing blood supply and affecting penile hemodynamics, leading to erectile dysfunction.

show abstract

“…Bastos (20) previously described the elastic system's fibers distribution in male fetal urethra and demonstrated that the concentration of elastic fibers in the spongy urethra increases significantly with age and this high concentration of elastic fibers may partially explain its high extensibility. Also, the elastic fibers concentration has a progressive increase during the fetal period gestation in a linear fashion, and continues to increase to the adulthood, which implies functional adaptation of the fetal male urethra.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Stereological and biochemical analysis of the urethral edges in patients submitted to end-to-end anastomosis for bulbar urethral stricture

et al. 2012

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

ARTICLE INFO _________________________________________________________ ___________________Purpose: To study the morphologic alterations in the proximal and distal urethral edges from patients submitted to end-to-end bulbar urethroplasty. Materials and Methods:We analyzed 12 patients submitted to anastomotic urethroplasty to treat bulbar strictures less than 2.0 cm in length. After excision of the fibrotic segment to a 28Fr urethral caliber, we obtained biopsies from the spongious tissue of the free edges (proximal: PROX and distal: DIST). Controls included normal bulbar urethras obtained from autopsies of 10 age matched individuals. The samples were histologically processed for smooth muscle cells (SMC), elastic system fibers and collagen. Stereological analysis was performed to determine the volumetric density (Vv) of each element. Also, a biochemical analysis was performed to quantify the total collagen content. Results: Vv of SMC was reduced in PROX (31.48 ± 7.01 p < 0.05) and similar in DIST when compared to controls (55.65 ± 9.60%) with no statistical difference. Elastic fibers were increased in PROX (25.70 ± 3.21%; p < 0.05) and were similar to controls in DIST (15.87 ± 4.26%). Total collagen concentration in PROX (46.39 ± 8.20 µg/mg), and DIST (47.96 ± 9.42 µg/mg) did not differ from controls (48.85 ± 6.91 µg/mg). Type III collagen was similarly present in all samples. Conclusions: After excision of the stenotic segment to a caliber of 28Fr, the exposed and macroscopically normal urethral edges may present altered amounts of elastic fibers and SMC, but are free from fibrotic tissue. When excising the peri-stenotic tissue, the surgeon should be more careful in the proximal end, which is the most altered.

show abstract

The concentration of elastic fibres in the male urethra during human fetal development

Cited by 39 publications

References 23 publications

Concentration of elastic system fibers in the corpus cavernosum, corpus spongiosum, and tunica albuginea in the rabbit penis

Concentration of elastic system fibers in the corpus cavernosum, corpus spongiosum, and tunica albuginea in the rabbit penis

Sinusoidal Constriction and Vascular Hypertrophy in the Diabetes-Induced Rabbit Penis

Stereological and biochemical analysis of the urethral edges in patients submitted to end-to-end anastomosis for bulbar urethral stricture

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About