Abstract
We have previously reported that stress causes erectile dysfunction (ED) through cavernosal contraction, which is mediated by the RhoA/Rho-kinase pathway (Mori T, et al., 21st World Meeting on Sexual Medicine 2018). Chronic stress is also reported to cause fibrosis in the heart or kidney. However, there is no report on whether stress also causes fibrosis in the corpus cavernosum. Therefore, we investigated the mechanisms of stress-induced ED, focusing on changes in the penile structure. Ten-week-old male Wistar/ST rats were divided into 2 groups: control group and stress group. Rats in the control group were kept in a normal cage. Rats in the stress group were kept in a cage filled with water to a height of 2.0 cm for 5 days. Erectile function was evaluated on the basis of the intracavernosal pressure (ICP)/mean arterial pressure (MAP) under stimulation of the cavernous nerve. Histological analysis was conducted using Masson’s trichrome staining. Molecular biological analysis was conducted using real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis. Serum testosterone levels were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.
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