title: A novel method to establish a rat ED model using internal iliac artery ligation combined with hyperlipidemia.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate a novel method, namely using bilateral internal iliac artery ligation combined with a high-fat diet (BCH), for establishing a rat model of erectile dysfunction (ED) that, compared to classical approaches, more closely mimics the chronic pathophysiology of human ED after acute ischemic insult.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty 4-month-old male Sprague Dawley rats were randomly placed into five groups (n = 8 per group): normal control (NC), bilateral internal iliac artery ligation (BIIAL), high-fat diet (HFD), BCH, and mock surgery (MS). All rats were induced for 12 weeks. Copulatory behavior, intracavernosal pressure (ICP), ICP/mean arterial pressure, hematoxylin-eosin staining, Masson's trichrome staining, serum lipid levels, and endothelial and neuronal nitric oxide synthase immunohistochemical staining of the cavernous smooth muscle and endothelium were assessed. Data were analyzed by SAS 8.0 for Windows.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Serum total cholesterol and triglyceride levels were significantly higher in the HFD and BCH groups than the NC and MS groups. High density lipoprotein levels were significantly lower in the HFD and BCH groups than the NC and MS groups. The ICP values and mount and intromission numbers were significantly lower in the BIIAL, HFD, and BCH groups than in the NC and MS groups. ICP was significantly lower in the BCH group than in the BIIAL and HFD groups. Cavernous smooth muscle and endothelial damage increased in the HFD and BCH groups. Cavernous smooth muscle to collagen ratio, nNOS and eNOS staining decreased significantly in the BIIAL, HFD, and BCH groups compared to the NC and MS groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The novel BCH model mimics the chronic pathophysiology of ED in humans and avoids the drawbacks of traditional ED models.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Urology, Affiliated Ren Ji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Chao
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.affiliation: Institute of Forensic Science, National Ministry of Justice, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Shanghai, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Feixiang
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Departments of Urology, Affiliated Ren Ji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Yehao
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Dong
authors.affiliation: Departments of Urology, Affiliated Ren Ji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Jican
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Dai
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D059305:Diet, High-Fat / Q000009:adverse effects; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D007172:Erectile Dysfunction / Q000097:blood / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006949:Hyperlipidemias / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications*; D007083:Iliac Artery / Q000601:surgery*; D008026:Ligation; D008055:Lipids / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D010413:Penis / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley
chemical_list: D008055:Lipids