title: [Establishment of a rat model of erectile dysfunction after radical prostatectomy by crush injury or resection of the cavernous nerve].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To establish a rat model mimicking erectile dysfunction following radical prostatectomy by crush injury or reaction of the cavernous nerve (CN).
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty rats were randomized into CN crush group, CN resection group and sham-operated group. Four weeks after surgery, the rat models were evaluated by apomorphine test and ICP/MAP measurement. Fluorogold (FG) retrograde tracer was used to assess the CN injury. The penile tissues were then harvested for immunohistochemical detection of the nNOS-positive fibers to evaluate the CN injury.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The rats in CN crush group and CN resection group exhibited erectile dysfunction in apomorphine test or in response to electrical stimulation of the ganglion stellatum (MPG). In the sham-operated group, the rats showed normal erectile function with increased ICP/MAP following electrical stimulation (P<0.05). Immunohistochemistry revealed reduced nNOS-positive fibers in both CN crush group and CN resection group as compared with those in the sham-operated group (P<0.05), showing no significant difference between the former two groups (P>0.05). The FG-positive MPG cells in CN crush group and CN resection group were significantly less than that in the sham-operated group (P<0.05), and the positive cells were even less in CN resection group (P<0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The rat CN is structurally similar to human CN, and crush injury and resection of the CN are both reliable methods for establishing rat models of erectile dysfunction following radical prostatectomy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China. bianjun39@163.com
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bian
authors.forename: Yu-ping
authors.initials: YP
authors.lastname: Dai
authors.forename: Xiang-zhou
authors.initials: XZ
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Gui-hua
authors.initials: GH
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Chun-hua
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Deng
authors.forename: Yun-lin
authors.initials: YL
authors.lastname: Ye
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D007172:Erectile Dysfunction / Q000209:etiology; D008297:Male; D009409:Nerve Crush; D010413:Penis / Q000294:innervation*; D011184:Postoperative Period; D011468:Prostatectomy / Q000009:adverse effects*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley