title: Icariin combined with breviscapine improves the erectile function of spontaneously hypertensive rats.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The impaired erectile response in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) is caused by increased signaling of RhoA/Rho-kinase and decreased signaling of nitric oxide (NO). Icariin improves erectile function via upregulating multitargets in NO/cyclic guanosine monophosphate (NO/cGMP) pathway, which breviscapine accomplishes by downregulating RhoA/Rho-kinase pathway.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the effect and mechanism of icariin combined with breviscapine on the erectile function of SHR.
  
  
  METHODS
  Five 12-week-old male Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats and 20 age-matched male SHR were evenly randomized into WKY rats control group, SHR control group, icariin-treated group, breviscapine-treated group, and combined treatment group treated by vehicle, icariin, breviscapine, and icariin plus breviscapine, respectively, by gavage for four successive weeks. Maximum intracavernosal pressure/mean arterial pressure (ICPmax/MAP) and the expression of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS), neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS), phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors (PDE5), and Rho-associated, coiled-coil containing protein kinase 1 and 2 (ROCK1 and ROCK2) in the cavernous tissues were determined.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The ICPmax/MAP in the combined treatment group was significantly increased compared with SHR control group, icariin-treated group, and breviscapine-treated group. The expression of eNOS and nNOS was significantly higher in the combined treatment group than in SHR control group, icariin-treated group, and breviscapine-treated group (P < 0.05). The expression of PDE5 was significantly lower in the icariin-treated group than in SHR control group (P < 0.05). The expression of ROCK1 was significantly lower in the combined treatment group than in other groups (P < 0.05). The expression of ROCK2 was significantly higher in SHR control group than in WKY rats control group, icariin-treated group, and combined treatment group (P < 0.05). Among these groups, the expression of eNOS and nNOS was the strongest, and ROCK1 was the lowest in WKY rats control group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Icariin combined with breviscapine has synergistic effects on erectile function of SHR through different signal pathways.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiovascular Diseases, Affiliated Hospital, Luzhou Medical College, Luzhou, China.
authors.forename: Yongxian
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.forename: Yanzheng
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: He
authors.forename: Rui
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.forename: Junxiang
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Zhongcai
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Fan
authors.forename: Yong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Cheng
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D054706:Cyclic Nucleotide Phosphodiesterases, Type 5 / Q000378:metabolism; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D005419:Flavonoids / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D008297:Male; D052248:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type I / Q000378:metabolism; D052250:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type III / Q000378:metabolism; D010410:Penile Erection / Q000187:drug effects*; D010413:Penis / Q000187:drug effects / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D011918:Rats, Inbred SHR; D011921:Rats, Inbred WKY; D054460:rho-Associated Kinases / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; D005419:Flavonoids; C061097:breviscapine; D052248:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type I; D052250:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type III; C578418:ROCK1 protein, rat; C580818:ROCK2 protein, rat; D054460:rho-Associated Kinases; D054706:Cyclic Nucleotide Phosphodiesterases, Type 5; C056599:icariin
keywords: Breviscapine; Erectile Dysfunction; Erectile Function; Hypertension; Icariin; Rat