Abstract
Prostatic radiation therapy (RT) is presumed to cause erectile dysfunction (ED) through damage to the vasculature and the nerves supplying the penis. This study examined the impact of prostatic RT on 1) vascular function in the internal pudendal artery (IPA) and penis and 2) the effect of in vivo prostate RT on the ex vivo survival and growth of major pelvic ganglia (MPG) neurons. Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats underwent conformal single fraction 25Gy RT using kilovoltage small animal microirradiator to the prostate or sham treatment. Erectile function was assessed by electrical stimulation of the cavernous nerve and ICP/MAP measurement at 2 or 10 weeks post-RT (n=10/grp). MPG were then excised; neurons were dissociated and cultured. Axon length and branching, and neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS), tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) and TUNEL assay expression were measured in neuronal cultures at 72h. IPA and penises were excised and mounted in myograph tissue bath. Concentration response curves to phenylephrine (PE), acetylcholine (ACh), DEA NONOate, or sodium nitroprusside (SNP), and electrical field stimulated (EFS) contraction and NANC relaxation were assessed.
Published Version
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