title: The influence of ethanol intake on RhoA/Rho kinase signaling pathway in corpus cavernosum of OLETF rats.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the effect of the ethanol on corpus cavernosum of the type 2 diabetes mellitus (type 2 DM) rat, since previous studies have reported the positive effect of moderate drinking on type 2 DM and endothelial function.
  
  
  METHODS
  Otsuka Long Evans Tokushima Fatty (OLETF, n = 28) and Long Evans Tokushima Otsuka (LETO, n = 28) male rats were assigned to four groups: control (LETO, n = 14), control/ethanol (LETO with ethanol, n = 14), fatty (OLETF, n = 14) and fatty/ethanol (OLETF with ethanol, n = 14). The control/ethanol and fatty/ethanol groups were fed Lieber-DeCarli Regular EtOH. After 10 weeks, an intraperitoneal glucose tolerance test (IPGTT) was performed. RT-PCR and Western blot analyses of the RhoA/Rho kinase in the corpus cavernosum were performed. The expression of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) and neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) in the corpus cavernosum was evaluated by immunohistochemistry.
  
  
  RESULTS
  After a 10-week ethanol intake, the body weight and the IPGTT of the fatty/ethanol group were significantly lower compared with the fatty group (p < 0.05). A significantly increased mRNA and protein expression in the fatty group was observed compared with the control group by RT-PCR and Western blot analyses (p < 0.05): A significantly decreased expression was observed in the fatty/ethanol group compared with the fatty group (p < 0.05). The significantly increased expression of eNOS was observed in the fatty/ethanol group compared with the fatty group by immunohistochemistry.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Long-term ethanol intake may preserve the erectile function in type 2 DM through the down-regulation of the RhoA/Rho kinase pathway.
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Seoul St.Mary's Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, 505 Banpo-dong, Seocho-gu, Seoul 137-701, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Su Jin
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Woong Jin
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Bae
authors.forename: Jin Hee
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Han
authors.forename: Sung Hoo
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Hong
authors.forename: Sae Woong
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Tae-Kon
authors.initials: TK
authors.lastname: Hwang
authors.forename: Dai Jin
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Ji Youl
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Lee
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000201:enzymology / Q000503:physiopathology; D000431:Ethanol / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008297:Male; D052248:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type I / Q000187:drug effects; D052250:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type III / Q000187:drug effects; D010413:Penis / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000201:enzymology / Q000502:physiology*; D051381:Rats; D020318:Rats, Long-Evans; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000187:drug effects*; D054460:rho-Associated Kinases / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D000431:Ethanol; D052248:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type I; D052250:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type III; D054460:rho-Associated Kinases