Abstract
Penile fibrosis caused by ischemic priapism (IP) adversely affects patients’ erectile function. We explored the role of lysyl oxidase (LOX) in rat and human penes after ischemic priapism (IP) to verify the effects of anti‐LOX in relieving penile fibrosis and preventing erectile dysfunction caused by IP in rats. Seventy‐two rats were randomly divided into six groups: control group, control + β‐aminopropionitrile (BAPN) group, 9 hrs group, 9 hrs + BAPN group, 24 hrs group, and 24 hrs + BAPN group. β‐aminopropionitrile (BAPN), a specific inhibitor of LOX, was administered in the drinking water. At 1 week and 4 weeks, half of the rats in each group were randomly selected for the experiment. Compared to the control group, the erectile function of IP rats was significantly decreased while the expression of LOX in the corpus cavernosum was significantly up‐regulated in both 9 and 24 hrs group. Proliferated fibroblasts, decreased corpus cavernosum smooth muscle cells/collagen ratios, destroyed endothelial continuity, deposited abnormal collagen and disorganized fibers were observed in IP rats. The relative content of collage I and III was not obviously different among the groups. β‐aminopropionitrile (BAPN) could effectively improve the structure and erectile function of the penis, and enhance recovery. The data in this study suggests that LOX may play an important role in the fibrosis of corpus cavernosum after IP and anti‐LOX may be a novel target for patients suffering with IP.
Highlights
Priapism is a rare urological emergency, which is defined as abnormally prolonged erection for more than 4 hrs in the absence of or after sexual stimulation has ended [1]
Significant decreases in corpora cavernosum smooth muscle cells (CCSMC)/collagen ratio were revealed in 9 hrs and 24 hrs groups compared to the control group at two stages, which provided important evidence of penile fibrosis after ischemic priapism (IP)
It has been proven that the expression of Lysyl oxidase (LOX) was significantly decreased in multiple organs with age [8,9,10], which implies important roles it might play in the development or maturation of these organs
Summary
Priapism is a rare urological emergency, which is defined as abnormally prolonged erection for more than 4 hrs in the absence of or after sexual stimulation has ended [1] It can be classified into subtypes of non-ischaemic (high-flow), ischaemic (low-flow) and stuttering (recurrent) [2]. If the penis cannot be detumesced in 24 hrs, Lysyl oxidase (LOX) is an extracellular and copper-dependent monoamine oxidase, which has been proven to work through catalysing the crosslink of lysine residues in collagen I and III, promotes deposition of insoluble elastic fibres and following fibrosis. Our goal was to explore the effects of LOX on penile fibrosis and ED caused by IP using a rat model
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