title: [Protective effect of ERbeta on penile vascular endothelium in mice].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the protective effect of ERbeta on the penile vascular endothelium in mice.
  
  
  METHODS
  We randomly selected 12 ERbeta knockout (ERbetaKO) and 12 C57BL/6 male mice, and divided them into four groups: normal control, ERbetaKO, ERbetaKO + TNFalpha, and wild-type + TNFalpha group. The former two were treated with normal saline, while the latter two by intraperitoneal injection of TNFalpha at 6 microg/(kg x d) for 14 days. Then we observed the spontaneous erectile response induced by APO and changes of the endothelial cells by immunohistochemical staining of CD34 and vWF, and detected cell apoptosis in the penile cavernous tissue by TUNEL.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Compared with the normal control group, the ERbetaKO group showed significantly increased erectile latency (P<0.05), but no significant difference in the number of erections; the ERbetaKO + TNFalpha and wild-type + TNFalpha groups, too, exhibited remarkably longer erectile latency (P<0.05) but fewer erections (P<0.05), with even more obvious changes in the ERbetaKO + TNFalpha group. The expressions of CD34 and vWF were significantly reduced in the ERbetaKO group (2.25 +/- 0.50 and 2.00 +/- 0.00), ERbetaKO + TNFalpha group (0.25 +/- 0.50 and 0.33 +/- 0.58) and wild-type + TNFalpha group (1.50 +/- 0.58 and 1.25 +/- 0.50) as compared with those in the control (3.00 +/- 0.00 and 2.75 +/- 0.50) (P<0.05), even lower in the ERbetaKO + TNFalpha than in the wild-type + TNFalpha group (P<0.05). Apoptotic cells were found only in the ERbetaKO + TNFalpha group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  After ERbeta knockout and especially after treated with the endothelial injury factor TNFalpha, endothelial cells are decreased in the penile vessels in mice, which suggests that ERbeta has a protective effect on the penile cavernous sinus endothelium.
authors.affiliation: College of Life Science, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210046, China.
authors.forename: Jie-Hua
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.forename: Hou-Xia
authors.initials: HX
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.forename: Lian-Jun
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Pan
authors.forename: Yu-Feng
authors.initials: YF
authors.lastname: Huang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects*; D047629:Estrogen Receptor beta / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D010410:Penile Erection / Q000187:drug effects; D010413:Penis / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000187:drug effects; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D047629:Estrogen Receptor beta; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha