PO-01-010 Synergistic effects of extracorporeal shockwave therapy and Korean herbal formulation on erectile dysfunction in diabetic animal model

Abstract

Studies on low-intensity extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT) for the treatment of refractory erectile dysfunction (ED) have been reported to date, but inconclusive evidence has been obtained. KH-204, a Korean herbal formula has been reported to have anti-oxidative effects many times. We investigated the synergy effect of ESWT with KH-204 in an animal model of diabetes mellitus (DM) - induced ED. Streptozotocin-induced DM rats were divided into 5 groups: group 1, control; group 2, DM; group 3, DM + ESWT; group 4 DM + KH-204; and group 4 DM + ESWT + KH-204. In ESWT groups rats were treated with ESWT 3 times a week for 2 weeks. The KH-204 groups were treated with a daily oral dose of KH-204 for 12 weeks. After all treatments, intracavernous pressure (ICP) was measured, and the cavernous tissues were evaluated. ICP was evaluated as a measurement of erectile function. The DM + ESWT, DM + KH-204, and DM + ESWT + KH-204 groups showed significantly restored erectile function compared with the DM group (p<0.05). Among these groups, the DM+ ESWT + KH-204 group showed the highest ICP. Moreover, ESWT and KH-204 treatment restored smooth muscle contents and many parameters related to potency including vascular endothelial growth factor, eNOS, platelet endothelial cell adhesion molecule, cGMP and nNOS expression levels compared with the DM group (p<0.05).