title: [Regulatory effect of Yangjing Capsule on the expressions of phosphor-Erk1 and phosphor-Akt1 in the corpus cavernosum of aged rats].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To observe the effect of Yangjing Capsule on the expressions of P-Erk1 and P-Akt1 in the corpus cavernosum of aged rats and to explore its action mechanism.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty 24-month-old SD rats were equally randomized into an experimental and a control group, 10 selected from each group for detection of the eNOS expression before medication. The rats in the experimental group (n = 10) were treated intragastrically with Yangjing Capsule, while those in the control with physiological saline, both at 0.5 g per kg body weight per day for 4 weeks. Then all the rats were killed, and the corpus cavernosum tissues harvested for determination of the expressions of eNOS, P-Erk1 and P-Akt1 by HE staining, RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Obvious distension was observed in the experimental group, but not in the control. The expression of eNOS in the rat corpus cavernosum was significantly higher after treatment than before treatment in the experimental group (24.10 +/- 2.40 vs 18.80 +/- 2.04, P < 0.05), but presented no obvious difference in the control (18.15 +/- 1.98 vs 19.35 +/- 1.50, P > 0.05), and it was remarkably higher in the former than in the latter (P < 0.05). The expression of P-Erk1 was markedly lower in the experimental than in the control rats (0.71 +/- 0.13 vs 0.83 +/- 0.17, P < 0.01), but that of P-Akt1 exhibited no remarkable difference in the same condition of GAPDH between the two groups (0.58 +/- 0.17 vs 0.48 + 0.13, P > 0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Both P-Erk1 and P-Akt were expressed in the corpus cavernosum of the aged rats. Yangjing Capsule could improve the sexual function of aged rats, which might be associated with the lowered expression of P-Erk1.
authors.affiliation: Research Institute of Andrology, Nanjing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210029, China.
authors.forename: Yong-Jin
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.forename: Bao-Fang
authors.initials: BF
authors.lastname: Jin
authors.forename: Da-Lin
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Xin-Dong
authors.initials: XD
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Guo-Shou
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Xia
authors.forename: Yu-Yang
authors.initials: YY
authors.lastname: Xue
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008297:Male; D048052:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 3 / Q000378:metabolism*; D052250:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type III / Q000378:metabolism; D010413:Penis / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley
chemical_list: D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; D052250:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type III; C496316:Nos3 protein, rat; D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt; D048052:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 3