Abnormal cortical surface-based spontaneous and functional connectivity in the whole brain in lifelong premature ejaculation patients / 亚洲男科学杂志(英文版)

Recent research has highlighted structural and functional abnormalities in the cerebral cortex of patients with premature ejaculation (PE). These anomalies could play a pivotal role in the physiological mechanisms underlying PE. This study leveraged functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), a noninvasive technique, to explore these neural mechanisms. We conducted resting-state fMRI scans on 36 PE patients and 22 healthy controls (HC), and collected data on Premature Ejaculation Diagnostic Tool (PEDT) scores and intravaginal ejaculation latency time (IELT). Employing a surface-based regional homogeneity (ReHo) approach, we analyzed local neural synchronous spontaneous activity, diverging from previous studies that utilized a volume-based ReHo method. Areas with significant ReHo differences between PE and HC groups underwent surface-based functional connectivity (FC) analysis. Significant discrepancies in ReHo and FC across the cortical surface were observed in the PE cohort. Notably, PE patients exhibited decreased ReHo in the left triangular inferior frontal gyrus and enhanced ReHo in the right middle frontal gyrus. The latter showed heightened connectivity with the left lingual gyrus and the right orbital superior frontal gyrus. Furthermore, a correlation between ReHo and FC values with PEDT scores and IELT was found in the PE group. Our findings, derived from surface-based fMRI data, underscore specific brain regions linked to the neurobiological underpinnings of PE.

The application of intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring in selective dorsal neurotomy for primary premature ejaculation: a prospective single-center study / 亚洲男科学杂志(英文版)

Selective dorsal neurotomy (SDN) is a surgical treatment for primary premature ejaculation (PE), but there is still no standard surgical procedure for selecting the branches of the dorsal penile nerves to be removed. We performed this study to explore the value of intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring (IONM) of the penile sensory-evoked potential (PSEP) for standard surgical procedures in SDN. One hundred and twenty primary PE patients undergoing SDN were selected as the PE group and 120 non-PE patients were selected as the normal group. The PSEP was monitored and compared between the two groups under both natural and general anesthesia (GA) states. In addition, patients in the PE group were randomly divided into the IONM group and the non-IONM group. During SDN surgery, PSEP parameters of the IONM group were recorded and analyzed. The differences in PE-related outcome measurements between the perioperative period and 3 months' postoperation were compared for the PE patients, and the differences in effectiveness and complications between the IONM group and the non-IONM group were compared. The results showed that the average latency of the PSEP in the PE group was shorter than that in the normal group under both natural and GA states (P < 0.001). Three months after surgery, the significant effective rates in the IONM and non-IONM groups were 63.6% and 34.0%, respectively (P < 0.01), and the difference in complications between the two groups was significant (P < 0.05). IONM might be useful in improving the short-term therapeutic effectiveness and reducing the complications of SDN.

Research progress of selective dorsal penile neurotomy in the treatment of primary premature ejaculation / 医学研究生学报

Selective dorsal penile neurotomy is a surgical method proposed for the treatment of primary premature ejaculation in recent years. In view of the inconsistency of surgical methods and the controversy of the operation itself, Large-scale, multi-center research evidence is needed for comprehensive evaluation. This article starts with the etiology of premature ejaculation, and reviews the anatomical basis, indications, contraindications, surgical methods, efficacy evaluation, complications and combined treatment methods of selective dorsal neurotomy.

Dynamic infusion cavernosometry and cavernosography for classifying venous erectile dysfunction and its significance for individual treatment / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

BACKGROUND@#The precise pathophysiology of venous erectile dysfunction (VED) was still unclear. Dynamic infusion cavernosometry and cavernosography (DICC) was the gold standard approach for the diagnoses of VED. However, a standard operative procedure of DICC was needed and it was unclear whether DICC could show promise in accurate assessment and treatment of VED. The aim of this study was to establish an optimized operation process of DICC and evaluate the efficacy of DICC in the diagnoses and therapy of VED.@*METHODS@#One hundred and forty-seven VED patients identified by the color doppler duplex ultrasonography (CDDU) were included. Then the method of DICC was adopted to assess the severity of VED and all patients were divided into 4 groups, including (1) non-VED; (2) mild VED; (3) moderate VED and (4) severe VED. All patients received the treatment of psychotherapy. Drug therapy, the intervention embolism of corpus cavernosum and the implantation of penile prosthesis were applied if psychotherapy was ineffective for patients. The international index of erectile function (IIEF-5) scores of patients were collected and compared before and after treatment.@*RESULTS@#IIEF-5 score of non-VED group after psychotherapy (19.35 ± 3.59) and drug therapy (23.31 ± 0.75) was higher than that before psychotherapy (15.30 ± 2.72, t = -4.31, P  0.05). IIEF-5 score of severe VED group was increased under the treatment of implantation of penile prosthesis (23.25 ± 0.71) compared with that before treatment (8.00 ± 0.39, t = -53.25, P < 0.05).@*CONCLUSION@#DICC was a valid diagnostic tool that could identify patients with VED. And DICC had great effect on the diagnosis and individual therapy for patients with VED in varying degrees. Moreover, the manipulation of DICC needed uniform standards.

Evaluation of the long-term safety and effectiveness of tadalafil once daily in Chinese men with erectile dysfunction: interim results of a multicenter, randomized, open-label trial / 亚洲男科学杂志(英文版)

Once-daily tadalafil administration has been well established; however, studies about tadalafil once-daily treatment in the Chinese population are lacking. In this phase 4, postmarketing study, we ascertained the long-term safety and effectiveness of tadalafil 2.5 mg and 5.0 mg once daily in Chinese men with erectile dysfunction (n = 635). The primary endpoint of the study was safety at 12 months as assessed by the proportion of patients experiencing at least one treatment-emergent adverse event (serious or nonserious). The secondary endpoints included safety and effectiveness, measured by the International Index of Erectile Function-Erectile Function (IIEF-EF) domain scores. Similar adverse events to the known safety profile of tadalafil, such as nasopharyngitis, upper respiratory tract infection, headache, and dizziness, were detected. No new cardiovascular safety concerns were observed. After 3 months of treatment, significant increases in IIEF-EF domain scores were detected for both 2.5-mg (least squares [LS] mean change: 6.3; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 5.4-7.1; P < 0.001) and 5.0-mg (LS mean change: 7.4; 95% CI: 6.8-7.9; P < 0.001) tadalafil doses, and significance was maintained up to 12 months. In addition, approximately 40% of patients regained normal erectile function (IIEF-EF ≥26) following 1 year of tadalafil once-daily treatment. The findings in this study provide evidence for the extended effectiveness and tolerability of tadalafil, demonstrating no new safety concerns, in a Chinese population and make once-daily tadalafil administration a viable option for improving sexual performance and satisfaction in Chinese men with erectile dysfunction.

Pancreatic kininogenase improves erectile function in streptozotocin-induced type 2 diabetic rats with erectile dysfunction / 亚洲男科学杂志(英文版)

Erectile dysfunction (ED) associated with type 2 diabetes is a severe problem that requires effective treatment. Pancreatic kininogenase (PK) has the potential to improve the erectile function of ED patients. This study aims to investigate the effect of PK on erectile function in streptozotocin-induced type 2 diabetic ED rats. To achieve this goal, we divided male Sprague-Dawley rats into five groups. One group was not treated, and the other four groups were treated with saline, sildenafil, PK or sildenafil, and PK, respectively, for 4 weeks after the induction of type 2 diabetic ED. Then, intracavernous pressure under cavernous nerve stimulation was measured, and penile tissue was collected for further study. Endothelial nitric oxide synthase levels, smooth muscle content, endothelium content, cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) levels in the corpus cavernosum, and neuronal nitric oxide synthase levels in the dorsal penile nerve were measured. Improved erectile function and endothelium and smooth muscle content in the corpus cavernosum were observed in diabetic ED rats. When treating diabetic ED rats with PK and sildenafil at the same time, a better therapeutic effect was achieved. These data demonstrate that intraperitoneal injection of PK can improve erectile function in a rat model of type 2 diabetic ED. With further research on specific mechanisms of erectile function improvement, PK may become a novel treatment for diabetic ED.

No effect of abstinence time on nerve electrophysiological test in premature ejaculation patients / 亚洲男科学杂志(英文版)

The nerve electrophysiological tests may differentiate the treatment of primary premature ejaculation (PPE) in our previous studies. However, no study verifies if the results will be affected by abstinence time. From January to December in 2016, fifty PPE patients ejaculated within 2 min and 28 control subjects were enrolled. The nerve electrophysiological tests, including dorsal nerve somatosensory evoked potential (DNSEP), glans penis somatosensory evoked potential (GPSEP), and penile sympathetic skin response (PSSR), were recorded before and immediately after ejaculation. The abstinence day was not correlated with the latencies of SEPs or PSSR neither in PE group (P = 0.170, 0.064, and 0.122, respectively) nor in control group (P = 0.996, 0.475, and 0.904, respectively). No statistically differences were found in the latencies of SEPs and PSSR before and after ejaculation in PE patients (P = 0.439, 0.537, and 0.576, respectively) or control subjects (P = 0.102, 0.198, and 0.363, respectively). Thus, abstinence time does not interfere with the nerve electrophysiological test, which is stable in determining the nerve function of PPE patients.

Differences in sympathetic nervous system activity and NMDA receptor levels within the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus in rats with differential ejaculatory behavior / 亚洲男科学杂志(英文版)

Differences in intravaginal ejaculation latency reflect normal biological variation, but the causes are poorly understood. Here, we investigated whether variation in ejaculation latency in an experimental rat model is related to altered sympathetic nervous system (SNS) activity and expression of N-methyl-D-aspartic acid (NMDA) receptors in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN). Male rats were classified as "sluggish," "normal," and "rapid" ejaculators on the basis of ejaculation frequency during copulatory behavioral testing. The lumbar splanchnic nerve activity baselines in these groups were not significantly different at 1460 ± 480 mV, 1660 ± 600 mV, and 1680 ± 490 mV, respectively (P = 0.71). However, SNS sensitivity was remarkably different between the groups (P < 0.01), being 28.9% ± 8.1% in "sluggish," 48.4% ± 7.5% in "normal," and 88.7% ± 7.4% in "rapid" groups. Compared with "normal" ejaculators, the percentage of neurons expressing NMDA receptors in the PVN of "rapid" ejaculators was significantly higher, whereas it was significantly lower in "sluggish" ejaculators (P = 0.01). In addition, there was a positive correlation between the expression of NMDA receptors in the PVN and SNS sensitivity (r = 0.876, P = 0.02). This study shows that intravaginal ejaculatory latency is associated with SNS activity and is mediated by NMDA receptors in the PVN.

Clinical application of the disposable vasographic interventional therapy kit in vasoseminal vesiculography / 中华男科学杂志

Objective@#To investigate the success rate and safety of percutaneous vasoseminal vesiculography with the disposable vasographic interventional therapy kit (VITK).@*METHODS@#This study included ninety-six 19－65 (mean 43) years old male patients with infertility, hematospermia, seminal vesicle cyst, ejaculatory duct cyst, ejaculatory dysfunction, or vas deferens injury, with disease courses varying from 1 month to 7 years. With an open, multi-centered, single-group, self-controlled design and using the disposable VITK, we treated the patients by percutaneous vasoseminal vesiculography via injection of contrast medium into the vas deferens cavity under local anesthesia.@*RESULTS@#Percutaneous vasoseminal vesiculography was successfully performed in 92 (97.87%) of the patients, which revealed abnormal seminal ducts in 51 cases (54.3%). Among the 28 infertile patients, 3 were found with bilateral and 5 with unilateral vas deferens obstruction. Vesiculitis was detected in 36 (81.8%) of the 44 hematospermia patients and bilateral vas deferens abnormality in 5 (38.5%) of the 13 patients with ejaculatory dysfunction. Transectional damage was observed in 2 patients with vas deferens injury induced by bilateral inguinal hernia repair. Three cases of seminal vesicle cyst and 4 cases of ejaculatory cyst were definitely diagnosed by vasoseminal vesiculography.@*CONCLUSIONS@#The disposable vasographic interventional therapy kit, with the advantages of simple operation and high safety, deserves a wide clinical application in vasoseminal vesiculography.

Advances in the surgical treatment of premature ejaculation / 中华男科学杂志

Premature ejaculation (PE) is a most common type of ejaculatory dysfunction, which has significant adverse effects on the life quality of the patients and their partners. Medication is currently the first choice for PE and psycho-behavior therapy is sometimes used as an adjuvant means. It is reported in a number of studies that medication alone or combined with psycho-behavior therapy has a great short-term efficacy and a very low risk of side effects. Conservative therapies for PE, however, have some obvious disadvantages such as easy recurrence after drug withdrawal, ineffectiveness in some cases, and so on. Thus, clinicians in China and abroad have developed and tried various surgical methods for the treatment of PE, most of which are reportedly safe and effective. However, International Society for Sexual Medicine guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of PE recommended against surgical methods because of possible permanent loss of sexual function and insufficient reliable data, though without support from evidence or relevant literature. Although controversial, surgical treatment remains an effective and feasible strategy for refractory PE that does not respond to any conservative therapies. This review summarizes a variety of surgical techniques for PE, along with their basic principles, indications, effects and safety.

Contrast-enhanced ultrasonography in the diagnosis of venous erectile dysfunction / 中华男科学杂志

Objective@#To investigate the effect and safety of contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS) in the diagnosis of venous erectile dysfunction (VED).@*METHODS@#From June 2015 to March 2016, 43 ED patients underwent corpus cavernography, of whom 23 were diagnosed with and the other 20 without corpus cavernosal venous leakage (CCVL). All the patients received intracorporal injection of a vasoactive drug and CEUS.@*RESULTS@#Of the 23 patients with CCVL, 21 were confirmed by CEUS, including 12 cases of double venous leakage, 2 cases of single venous leakage, 5 cases of crural venous leakage, and 2 cases of the mixed type, while the other 2 showed no CCVL on CEUS. Of the 20 patients with CCVL, 2 presented CCVL on CEUS.@*CONCLUSIONS@#CEUS has the advantages of accuracy, safety, and less invasiveness in the diagnosis of VED.

Microscopic spermatic vein ligation for nutcracker phenomenon complicated with left varicocele / 中华男科学杂志

Objective@#To investigate the clinical effect of microscopic spermatic vein ligation in the treatment of nutcracker phenomenon (NCP) complicated with left varicocele (VC).@*METHODS@#This retrospective study included 31 cases of NCP complicated with left VC treated in our hospital by subinguinal microscopic ligation of the left spermatic vein (group A, n = 11), open retroperitoneal high ligation of the left spermatic vein (group B, n = 11), or conservative therapy (group C, n = 9). The patients were followed up for 6－24 (15.3 ± 5.4) months. We compared the semen parameters, spermatic vein diameter, left testis volume, and recurrence rate among the three groups of patients before and after treatment.@*RESULTS@#Compared with the baseline, the semen quality parameters were significantly improved in both groups A and B at 6 months after treatment (P0.05), B (［9.77 ± 2.03］ vs ［9.96 ± 1.72］ ml, P>0.05), or C (［9.83 ± 1.59］ vs ［10.48 ± 2.05］ ml, P>0.05), nor in the recurrence rate between groups A and B (P>0.05).@*CONCLUSIONS@#Hematuria, proteinuria and other mild symptoms of nutcracker phenomenon complicated with left VC can be treated palliatively by microscopic ligation of the spermatic vein, which can relieve the clinical symptoms, improve the semen quality, and protect the testicular function of the patient.

Advances in the studies of testicular microlithiasis / 中华男科学杂志

With the increased attention to men's health and development of ultrasound imaging technology, clinicians are achieving a better understanding of testicular microlithiasis. This review presents an overview on recent studies of the etiology, pathogenesis, and imaging characteristics of testicular microlithiasis, its impact on male reproductive function, and its relation ship with testis tumors and other related diseases, as well as its treatment strategies and follow-up proposals, aiming to provide some new evidence for further understanding and management of the disease.

Laparoscopic extraperitoneal high ligation of the spermatic vein for the treatment of varicocele / 中华男科学杂志

Objective@#To investigate the effect of laparoscopic extraperitoneal (LSEP) high ligation of the spermatic vein in the treatment of varicocele.@*METHODS@#We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data about 80 cases of varieocele, 48 treated by LSEP and the other 32 by laparoscopic transabdominal retroperitoneal (LSTR) high ligation of the spermatic vein. We recorded the semen parameters before and at 1, 3 and 6 months after surgery, intraoperative blood loss, operation time, postoperative complications, time of gastrointestinal function recovery and rate of pregnancy, followed by comparison of the data obtained between the two groups of patients.@*RESULTS@#Semen parameters were remarkably improved in both the LSEP and LSTR groups of patients postoperatively as compared with the baseline (P 0.05). The intraoperative blood loss was less in the LSEP than in the LSTR group (［8.3 ± 5.2］ vs ［9.1 ± 6.1］ ml, P >0.05), the operation time was shorter in the former than in the latter (［38.27 ± 9.23］ vs ［43.46 ± 11.72］ min, P >0.05), and so was the time of gastrointestinal function recovery (［1.27 ± 0.26］ vs ［2.43 ± 0.41］ d, P 0.05).@*CONCLUSIONS@#Laparoscopic extraperitoneal high ligation of the spermatic vein is safe and effective and has the advantage of quick recovery in the treatment of varicocele.

Correlation of abnormal topological properties of the white matter fibers connecting the left amygdale with psychogenic erectile dysfunction / 中华男科学杂志

Objective@#To explore the topological properties of the degree and strength of nodes in the binary and weighted brain white matter networks of the patients with psychogenic erectile dysfunction (pED) and analyze the changes of myelin integrity, number and length of the white matter fibers in the topological space.@*METHODS@#Diffusion tensor imaging data were obtained from 21 patients with pED and 24 healthy controls matched in sex, age, and years of education and subjected to preprocessing. The whole cerebral cortex was divided into 90 regions, followed by fiber tracking, construction of the binary and weighted white matter networks, and calculation of the node degrees and connectivity strengths in different brain regions. The property values were compared between the two groups using the two-sample t-test, the results were corrected by multiple testing correction, and the correlation of the property values with the erectile function of the patients was subjected to Pearson's correlation analysis.@*RESULTS@#Compared with the healthy controls, the pED patients showed significantly decreased node degree of the left triangular part of inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) (7.54±1.44 vs 5.95±1.28, t = －3.88, corrected P = 0.02), medial orbital part of superior frontal gyrus (SFG) (10.08±3.60 vs 6.29±3.30, t = －3.67, corrected P = 0.02), and amygdala (6.50±2.11 vs 4.29±1.31, t = －4.16, corrected P = 0.01) in the binary networks, as well as the connectivity strength of the left triangular part of IFG (2.50±0.68 vs 1.72±0.50, t = －4.35, corrected P = 0.01), medial orbital part of SFG (3.17±0.97 vs 2.08±1.10, t = －3.53, corrected P = 0.03), and amygdala (1.80±0.69 vs 1.11±0.39, t = －4.03, corrected P = 0.01) in the fractional anisotropy (FA) weighted networks. The node degree of the left amygdala was negatively correlated with the total score (r = －0.47,P = 0.04), second item score (r = －0.46, P = 0.03), and third item score of IIEF-5 (r = －0.45, P = 0.04) in the pED patients.@*CONCLUSIONS@#The myelin integrity of the white matter fibers in the left frontal lobe and amygdale is impaired in pED patients, which leads to the aberrant generation, processing and regulation of their emotions. The decreased pivotal role and importance of the white matter fibers connecting the left amygdale may be associated with pED.

Establishment of an animal model of primary premature ejaculation / 中华男科学杂志

<p><b>Objective</b>To investigate the feasibility and practicability of establishing an animal model of primary premature ejaculation using the ejaculation distribution theory.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>We induced behavioral estrus in 32 ovariectomized female SD rats by subcutaneous injection of 20 μg estradiol benzoate at 48 hours and 500 μg progesterone at 4 hours before mating them with 49 male rats once a week for six times. During the last three opulations, we observed the male animals for mounting latency (ML), intromission latency (IL), ejaculation latency (EL), postejaculation interval (PEI), mounting frequency (MF), intromission frequency (IF), intromission rate (IR), and ejaculation frequency (EF).</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Finally, 22 of the male rats were included in this study. The mean EF>33 was deemed rapid ejaculation,EF<1 sluggish ejaculation, and EF 1.5－2.5 normal ejaculation. The EL was significantly shorter in the rapid ejaculation group than in the sluggish and normal ejaculation groups. The IF was the lowest in those with rapid ejaculation. No statistically significant differences were observed in the ML among the three groups of rats.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Based on the mean ejaculation frequency, the male rats with rapid ejaculation were easily screened, and this animal model may play an important role in exploring the mechanisms of primary premature ejaculation.</p>

Aging-related change of erectile function and the expression of SIRT1 / 中华男科学杂志

<p><b>Objective</b>To explore aging-related changes in erectile function and the expressions of SIRT1 and other relevant factors in rats.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>We divided 40 male SD rats into four age groups of equal number: 2-month-old (2 mo), 8-month-old (8 mo), 14-month-old (14 mo), and 20-month-old (20 mo), measured the intracavernous pressure (ICP), mean arterial pressure (MAP), and ICP/MAP ratio by electrostimulation of the cavernous nerve, evaluated fibrosis in the corpus cavernosum by Masson's trichrome staining, detected the expressions of SIRT1, P53, and FOXO3a by Western blot, and determined the levels of NO and cGMP using the NO/cGMP kit.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Both the ICP/MAP ratio and the cGMP level were elevated with aging, reaching the peak at 8 months and then gradually decreased. Masson staining showed an aging-related increase of collagen fibers in the corpus cavernosum.The expression of SIRT1 was reduced while those of P53 and FOXO3a increased with aging.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Aging-related erectile dysfunction may be attributed to the reduced activity of the NO/cGMP pathway, apoptosis and oxidative stress, and SIRT1 may play a role in aging-related erectile dysfunction.</p>

Sperm DNA fragmentation index and the success rate of IVF/ICSI / 中华男科学杂志

Sperm DNA fragmentation index (DFI) refers to the percentage of DNA strand breaks in the total sperm. Many studies suggest that elevated DFI can lead to male infertility and early spontaneous abortion. High-DFI patients are more likely to fail in assisted reproduction and preliminary treatment or prevention methods have been developed for this population. This review focuses on the impact of DFI on clinical pregnancy outcomes and progress in the studies of its treatment.

Impact of varicocele and varicocelectomy on the apoptosis of spermatogenic cells and the levels of nitrogen monoxidum and interleukin 1 in the rat testis / 中华男科学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the impact of left varicocele (VC) and varicocelectomy (VCT) on the apoptosis of spermatogenic cells and the levels of nitrogen monoxidum (NO) and interleukin 1 (IL-1) in the rat testis.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>We randomly divided 60 adolescent male SD rats into four groups of equal number: sham operation control, VC model 1 (VC1), VC model 2 (VC2), and VCT. We determined the semen quality and levels of NO and IL-1 in the testis tissue, detected the apoptosis of spermatogenic cells by TUNEL, and compared the indexes obtained among different groups.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>An experimental VC model was successfully established by partially ligating the left renal vein of the rats. Sperm concentration and motility were significantly decreased in the VC1 ([1.54 ± 1.16] x 10⁶/ml and [44.23 ± 15.46]%) as compared with those in the sham operation group ([2.80 ± 1.62] x 10⁶/ml and [72.34 ± 12.62]%) (P < 0.05), but remarkably higher in the VCT ([1.82 ± 1.34] x 10⁶/mI and [51.21 ± 12.62]%) than in the VC2 group ([1.04 ± 1.21] x 10⁶/ml and [39.23 ± 13.21]%) (P < 0.05). The levels of NO and IL-1 in the left testes were markedly elevated in the VC1 ([0.172 ± 0.030] ng/ml and [1.468 ± 0.080 ] mg/ml) in comparison with those in the sham operation group ([0.134 ± 0.021] ng/ml and [0.782 ± 0.079 ] mg/ml) (P < 0.05), and significantly higher in the VC2 ([0.198 ± 0.020] ng/ml and [1.994 ± 0.090] mg/ml) than in the VCT group ([0.141 ± 0.010] ng/ml and [0.781 ± 0.036] mg/ml) (P < 0.05). However, the NO and IL-1 levels in the right testis showed no statistically significant differences between the two groups, and the two levels were positively correlated (r = 0.492, P < 0.01). The rats of the VC1 group exhibited remarkable apoptosis of spermatogenic cells in the bilateral testes, with significant differences in the apoptosis index ( AL) between the two sides (P < 0.05) as well as in the same side in comparison with the sham operation group (P < 0.01). The Als of spermatogenic cells in the bilateral testes showed statistically significant differences in the VCT (P < 0.05) but not in the VC2 group (P > 0.05), and those in the same side manifested dramatic differences between the VCT and VC2 groups (P < 0.01).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Varicocele induces changes of the NO and IL-1 levels in the testis tissue and increases the apoptosis of spermatogenic cells, which might be one of the causes of testis damage and spermatogenic dysfunction.</p>

Effects of the Rho-kinase inhibitor fasudil on the invasion, migration, and apoptosis of human prostate cancer PC3 and DU145 cells / 中华男科学杂志

<p><b>Objective</b>To investigate the potential role of the RhoA/Rock signaling pathway in the formation of prostate cancer and the effects of the Rock inhibitor fasudil on the invasion, migration and apoptosis of human prostate cancer cells.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Human prostate cancer cell lines PC3 and DU145 were treated with fasudil at the concentrations of 5, 10, 20, 40, 80, and 160 μmol/L, respectively, and those as negative controls cultured in the Ham's-F12 medium, all for 24 hours. Then, MTT assay was used to measure the cell inhibition rate and half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) value of fasudil, with 1/4 of IC50 as the medication dose for further investigation. The expressions of RhoA, RockⅠ, and RockⅡ proteins in the PC3 and DU145 cells were detected by Western blot and immunohistochemistry, and the invasion, migration and apoptosis of the cells were determined using the Transwell chamber, scratch wound healing assay and flow cytometry.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Fasudil inhibited the proliferation of the PC3 cells from (9.29±1.23)% at 5 μmol/L to (81.37±3.97)% at 160 μmol/L and that of DU145 from (7.59±1.54)% to (76.53±2.67)%, both in a dose-dependent manner (P<0.05 ). Significantly fewer PC3 and DU145 cells migrated into the lower compartment in the experimental group (39.2±8.4 and 34.2±6.7) than in the negative control (116.8±9.3 and 112.5±10.8) (P<0.05 ). The wound healing rates of the PC3 and DU145 cells were remarkably lower in the former (［37.26±1.17］% and ［32.38±2.73］%) than in the latter (［78.12±4.16］% and ［69.47±6.71］%) (P<0.05 ). Annexin V-FITC/PI double staining showed markedly increased apoptosis rates of PC3 and DU145 cells treated with fasudil (［31.88±2.49］% and ［28.65±2.99］%) as compared with the negative controls (［7.51±2.28］% and ［7.13±1.61］%) (P<0.05 ). The expressions of RockⅠ and RockⅡ were significantly reduced in the fasudil-treated cells in comparison with those of the control group (P<0.05 ) while that of RhoA showed no significant difference between the two groups (P>0.05 ).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>The RhoA/Rock signaling pathway may play an important role in the formation of prostate cancer. Fasudil can significantly inhibit the proliferation, migration, and invasion and promote the apoptosis of human prostate cancer PC3 and DU145 cells by reducing RhoA/Rho kinase activity.</p>