Expression of heme oxygenase in corpus cavernosum of diabetic rats

Abstract

Objective To detect the expression of heme oxygenase 1 and 2 in the corpus cavernosum of diabetic rats and explore their significance in diabetic erectile function.Methods Of 50 SpragueDawley male rats,30 rats were selected randomly,and induced into diabetes mellitus model,and the rest 20 rats served as normal control group.Four weeks and 8 weeks later,erectile function of each rat was accessed by apomorphine assay.The distribution and content of HO-1 and HO-2 in the penile tissues were determined by using immunohistochemistry and Western blotting.Results The erection times of DM rats were decreased after 4 weeks ( 2.17 ± 0.94 ) and 8 weeks (0.85 ± 1.07 ) compared to normal controls [4.0±1.15 (4 weeks),P ＜0.01; 4.2 ±1.32 (8 weeks),P＜0.01]; the expression of HO-1 in DM rats was increased after 4 weeks ( 32.87 ± 3.22) and 8 weeks ( 20.65 ± 2.34 ) compared to normal controls [ 13.52 ± 3.25 (4 weeks),P ＜ 0.01 ; 12.35 ± 2.29 ( 8 weeks ),P ＜ 0.01 ],and the expression after 8 weeks was lower than that after 4 weeks ( P ＜ 0.01 ) ; the expression of HO-2 in DM rats was declined after 4 weeks ( 14.32 ± 1.21 ) and 8 weeks ( 8.82 ± 2.35 ) compared to that in the respective normal controls [20.91 ±2.07 (4 weeks),P＜0.01; 21.02 ±2.10 (8 weeks),P＜0.01 ],and the change enlarged along with time ( P ＜0.01 ),but the difference in the normal controls had no statistically significant difference ( P ＞ 0.05).Conclusion Diabetes mellitus can decrease the erectile function of rats,which may be related to the decrease of HO expression in the corpus cavernosum of diabetic rats. Key words: Heme oxygenase; Erectile dysfunction; Diabetes mellitus; Corpus cavernosum