title: Effect of short- and long-term sildenafil treatment on erectile dysfunction in rats with partial bladder outlet obstruction.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) and erectile dysfunction (ED) are frequent problems in older men worldwide. We evaluated the effect of short- and long-term sildenafil treatment on erectile function in rats with surgically induced partial bladder outlet obstruction (PBOO).
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 60 male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomized in five groups: (1) control (sham-operated); (2) PBOO for 3 weeks; (3) PBOO for 6 weeks; (4) sildenafil (1.5 mg/rat/day) treated PBOO for 3 weeks; and (5) sildenafil treated PBOO for 6 weeks. We assessed erectile function by measuring intracavernous pressures (ICP), mean arterial pressure (MAP) and total ICP after cavernous nerve stimulation. Corpus cavernous smooth muscle (CCSM) strips were isolated and evaluated for relaxation responses using organ-bath preparation. Neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) expression was determined immunohistochemically.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Experimental PBOO at 3 and 6 weeks showed decreased erectile response based on ICP/MAP ratio, total ICP and decreased expression of nNOS, which returned to normal after prolonged daily treatment with sildenafil. CCSM strips from PBOO rats displayed reduced relaxation responses to both electrical field stimulation (EFS) and acetylcholine (ACh) as well as nNOS enzyme intensity when compared to untreated PBOO group, which was reversed by treatment with sildenafil for 6 weeks.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Daily sildenafil treatment prevents development of ED in PBOO rats in a time dependent manner. Further studies are needed to explore the effectiveness of sildenafil in patients with BPH/LUTS in association with ED.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Ankara University, Ankara, Turkey.|Department of Urology, Tulane University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, Louisiana.
authors.forename: Serap
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gur
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Ankara University, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Buket
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Yurdaarmagan
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Ankara University, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Nur
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Bayatli
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Tulane University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, Louisiana.
authors.forename: Suresh C
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2960-9931
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Sikka
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D007172:Erectile Dysfunction / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology; D008297:Male; D009126:Muscle Relaxation / Q000187:drug effects; D009130:Muscle, Smooth / Q000187:drug effects; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D000068677:Sildenafil Citrate / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D001748:Urinary Bladder Neck Obstruction / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy*; D064804:Urological Agents / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D064804:Urological Agents; D000068677:Sildenafil Citrate
keywords: ACh; benign prostatic hyperplasia; erectile dysfunction; lower urinary tract symptoms; nNOS; partial bladder outlet obstruction; sildenafil