title: Efficacy of pioglitazone on erectile function recovery in a rat model of cavernous nerve injury.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the effect of pioglitazone on erectile function in a rat model of postprostatectomy erectile dysfunction.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty adult rats were divided into 4 groups: (a) sham, (b) control--bilateral cavernosal nerve crush injury (BCNI), (c) BCNI + low-dose pioglitazone (PioL), and (d) BCNI + high-dose pioglitazone (PioH). Sham and control rats were administered phosphate-buffered saline, whereas PioL and PioH rats received 0.65 and 6.5 mg/kg of pioglitazone, respectively. All treatments were administered by oral gavage for 14 days. After treatment, animals underwent surgery for endpoint cavernosal response to define hemodynamic parameters of erectile function, reported as the ratio of intracavernosal pressure to mean arterial pressure. Corporal tissue was retrieved for histologic and molecular analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Animals treated with pioglitazone experienced dose-dependent improvements in the ratio of intracavernosal pressure to mean arterial pressure, with the PioH group achieving results similar to the sham group: sham, 0.774; BCNI, 0.421; PioL, 0.616; PioH, 0.758 (P = .0006). PioH animals demonstrated increased expression of endothelial nitric oxide (eNOS) and neuronal nitric oxide (nNOS), whereas both PioL and PioH animals had increased staining for anti--smooth muscle actin antibody and nonsignificant increases in cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Pioglitazone improves erectile function in rats undergoing BCNI via a nitric oxide--mediated pathway.
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Tulane University Medical Center, New Orleans, LA.
authors.forename: Louis A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Aliperti
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Tulane University Medical Center, New Orleans, LA.
authors.forename: George F
authors.initials: GF
authors.lastname: Lasker
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Tulane University Medical Center, New Orleans, LA.
authors.forename: Sharika S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Hagan
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Tulane University Medical Center, New Orleans, LA.
authors.forename: Joshua A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Hellstrom
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Sakarya University School of Medicine, Sakarya, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ahmet
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gokce
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN.
authors.forename: Landon W
authors.initials: LW
authors.lastname: Trost
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Tulane University Medical Center, New Orleans, LA.
authors.forename: Philip J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Kadowitz
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Tulane University Medical Center, New Orleans, LA.
authors.forename: Suresh C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Sikka
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Tulane University Medical Center, New Orleans, LA. Electronic address: whellst@tulane.edu.
authors.forename: Wayne J G
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Hellstrom
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D062186:Arterial Pressure; D006152:Cyclic GMP / Q000378:metabolism; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D007172:Erectile Dysfunction / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006439:Hemodynamics; D007004:Hypoglycemic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D009130:Muscle, Smooth / Q000187:drug effects; 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 / Q000502:physiology; D059348:Peripheral Nerve Injuries / Q000188:drug therapy*; D000077205:Pioglitazone; D051381:Rats; D045162:Thiazolidinediones / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D007004:Hypoglycemic Agents; D045162:Thiazolidinediones; D052248:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type I; D052250:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type III; C496316:Nos3 protein, rat; D006152:Cyclic GMP; D000077205:Pioglitazone