title: Protective effect of annexin-A1 against irreversible damage to cavernous tissue after cavernous nerve injury in the rat.
abstract: Study Type - Aetiology (case control) Level of Evidence 3b. What's known on the subject? and What does the study add? Penile rehabilitation is still controversial regarding good results. Our study shows a non-invasive treatment option to recovery after cavernous nervous damage. The assessment of changes in the intracavernous pressure and karyometry demonstrates the protective effect of annexin-A1 in an animal model of cavernous nerve injury. We found that annexin-A1 effectively preserved erectile function, evidently through significantly protecting the corpus cavernosum tissue against fibrosis.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  • To evaluate the protective effect of annexin-A1 against irreversible damage to cavernous tissue after cavernous nerve injury.
  
  
  METHODS
  • Thirty Sprague-Dawley male rats were divided into 3 groups; sham-operated rats (n= 10), bilateral cavernous nerve injury treated intravenously with 100 µg/kg annexin-A1 (n= 10), and a crush group of rats submitted to bilateral cavernous nerve injury and vehicle (n= 10). Groups were compared in respect to intracavernous pressure and karyometric parameters.
  
  
  RESULTS
  • After annexin-A1 treatment, the maximum changes in intracavernous pressure responses were significantly higher in the annexin-A1 group compared to the vehicle-only group on the 7(th) postoperative day (p-value <0.05). Hematoxylin-eosin staining showed that the percentage of cavernosal smooth muscle was higher in the annexin-A1 group. Karyometry showed that the nuclear volume was greater in the annexin-A1 group, as was the major/minor smooth muscle cell diameter ratio compared to the vehicle-only group on the 7(th) postoperative day (p-value <0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  • This is the first report that, by assessing changes in the intracavernous pressure and karyometry, demonstrates the protective effect of annexin-A1 in an animal model of cavernous nerve injury. We found that annexin-A1 effectively preserved erectile function, evidently through significantly protecting the corpus cavernosum tissue against fibrosis.
authors.affiliation: Medicine School of São Jose do Rio Preto-FAMERP - Urology, São Jose do Rio Preto, Brazil. fnfacio@yahoo.com.br
authors.forename: Fernando N
authors.initials: FN
authors.lastname: Facio
authors.forename: Arthur L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Burnett
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017305:Annexin A1 / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007172:Erectile Dysfunction / Q000517:prevention & control*; D008297:Male; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010413:Penis / Q000293:injuries* / Q000294:innervation*; D011312:Pressure; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D020196:Trauma, Nervous System
chemical_list: D017305:Annexin A1; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents