title: The herbal formula KH-204 is protective against erectile dysfunction by minimizing oxidative stress and improving lipid profiles in a rat model of erectile dysfunction induced by hypercholesterolaemia.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Hypercholesterolaemia (HC) is a major risk factor for ischemic heart disease and is also known to be a risk factor for erectile dysfunction (ED). ED caused by HC is thought to be related to HC-induced oxidative stress damage in the vascular endothelium and erectile tissue. KH-204 is an herbal formula with a strong antioxidant effect. We evaluated the effects of KH-204 on erectile function in a rat model of HC-induced ED.
  
  
  METHODS
  Male Sprague-Dawley rats (6 weeks old) were divided into normal control, high-fat and cholesterol diet (HFC), and HFC with KH-204 treatment (HFC + KH) groups (n = 12 each). Normal control group rats were fed normal chow diet. HFC and HFC + KH group rats were fed high-fat and cholesterol diets and treated with or without daily oral doses of KH-204 for 12 weeks. Subsequently, intracavernous pressure (ICP) and mean arterial pressure (MAP) were measured, and lipid profiles, expression of endothelial (eNOS) and neuronal (nNOS) nitric oxide synthase, oxidative stress (8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine), and ratio of smooth muscle cells and collagen fibres were evaluated in the serum and corpora tissue.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Compared to the HFC group, the HFC + KH group showed statistically significant increases in peak ICP and ICP/MAP ratio, expression of eNOS and nNOS, and ratio of smooth muscle cells and collagen fibres (p < 0.05). The HFC + KH group also showed statistically significant decreases in oxidative stress (p < 0.05). Further the lipid profiles of this group were ameliorated compared to those of the HFC group (p < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The current study shows that the antioxidant and hypolipidemic effects of KH-204 are effective in ameliorating ED by restoring endothelial dysfunction and suggests that KH-204 may be a potential therapeutic agent for ED by correcting the fundamental cause of ED.
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, 222 Banpo-daero, Seocho-gu, Seoul, 137-701, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Hoon
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Jang
authors.affiliation: Catholic Integrative Medicine Research Institute, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, South Korea.
authors.forename: Woong Jin
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Bae
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, 222 Banpo-daero, Seocho-gu, Seoul, 137-701, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Su Jin
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, 222 Banpo-daero, Seocho-gu, Seoul, 137-701, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Hyuk Jin
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, 222 Banpo-daero, Seocho-gu, Seoul, 137-701, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Seung Mo
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Yuk
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, 222 Banpo-daero, Seocho-gu, Seoul, 137-701, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Dong Seok
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Han
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, 222 Banpo-daero, Seocho-gu, Seoul, 137-701, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Chang Shik
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Youn
authors.affiliation: KEMIMEDI, Seoul, South Korea.
authors.forename: Eun Bi
authors.initials: EB
authors.lastname: Kwon
authors.affiliation: KEMIMEDI, Seoul, South Korea.
authors.forename: Sung Yeoun
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Hwang
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, 222 Banpo-daero, Seocho-gu, Seoul, 137-701, Republic of Korea. ksw1227@catholic.ac.kr.|Department of Urology, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, 222 Banpo-daero, Seocho-gu, Seoul, 06591, South Korea. ksw1227@catholic.ac.kr.
authors.forename: Sae Woong
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Kim
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000032:analysis; D001835:Body Weight / Q000187:drug effects; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D007172:Erectile Dysfunction / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006937:Hypercholesterolemia / Q000150:complications*; D050356:Lipid Metabolism / Q000187:drug effects; D008055:Lipids / Q000097:blood; D019684:Magnoliopsida / Q000737:chemistry; D008297:Male; D052248:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type I / Q000378:metabolism; D052250:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type III / Q000378:metabolism; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000187:drug effects; D010410:Penile Erection / Q000187:drug effects*; D010413:Penis / Q000187:drug effects / Q000201:enzymology; D008517:Phytotherapy; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; C000615578:KH-204 herbal formula; D008055:Lipids; D010936:Plant Extracts; D052248:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type I; D052250:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type III; C496316:Nos3 protein, rat
keywords: Erectile dysfunction; Hypercholesterolaemia; Oxidative stress