Effects of chronic administration of the phosphodiesterase inhibitor vardenafil on serum levels of adrenal and testicular steroids in men with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

To investigate whether long-term, chronic treatment with the phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitor vardenafil affects adrenal and testicular steroidogenesis in diabetic men, using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. A longitudinal, prospective, investigator-started, randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, clinical-trial was carried out, enrolling 54 male patients affected by type 2 diabetes mellitus diagnosed within the last 5 years. In total, 26 and 28 patients were followed for 1 year and assigned to the study and placebo group, respectively. Progesterone, 17-hydroxyprogesterone, androstenedione, testosterone, dehydroepiandrosterone, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate, corticosterone, 11-deoxycortisol and cortisol, were evaluated using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. No differences were seen in sex testicular steroids between study and control group. As for the adrenal gland, steroids were considered according to the zona in which they are produced. No significant differences were seen in steroid produced in zona fasciculata. For the zona reticularis, dehydroepiandrosterone significantly decreased during treatment only in the study group (p = 0.007), with higher levels at visit 2 and 8 than other visits. The dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate/dehydroepiandrosterone ratio significantly increased during treatment only in the verum group. Considering the adrenal zona glomerulosa, corticosterone significantly changed among visits both in both groups (p < 0.001), with higher levels at visit 2 (p = 0.028), 8 (p = 0.003), and 10 (p = 0.044), i.e., in coincidence with the complete clinical and instrumental examination performed only at these visits according to the study protocol. Chronically administered vardenafil reduces dehydroepiandrosterone levels and increases dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate/dehydroepiandrosterone ratio as possible consequences of modulation of steroidogenic enzymes by tissue changes in cyclic adenosine monophosphate and cyclic guanosine monophosphate availability. A possibly stress-related increase in corticosterone is suggested for the first time.

Six months of daily treatment with vardenafil improves parameters of endothelial inflammation and of hypogonadism in male patients with type 2 diabetes and erectile dysfunction: a randomized, double-blind, prospective trial.

OBJECTIVE: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is associated with endothelial dysfunction, characterized by a reduction of nitric oxide (NO)-mediated relaxation. Phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors (PDE5i) improve NO levels. The aim of the study was to investigate whether long-term, chronic treatment with the PDE5i vardenafil improves systemic endothelial function in diabetic men. DESIGN: A prospective, investigator-initiated, randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, clinical trial was conducted. METHODS: In total, 54 male patients affected by T2DM, diagnosed within the last 5 years, and erectile dysfunction were enrolled, regardless of testosterone levels. In all, 26 and 28 patients were assigned to verum and placebo groups respectively. The study consisted of an enrollment phase, a treatment phase (24 weeks) (vardenafil/placebo 10  mg twice in a day) and a follow-up phase (24 weeks). Parameters evaluated were as follows: International Index of Erectile Function 15 (IIEF-15), flow-mediated dilation (FMD), serum interleukin 6 (IL6), endothelin 1 (ET-1), gonadotropins and testosterone (measured by liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry). RESULTS: IIEF-15 erectile function improved during the treatment (P<0.001). At the end of the treatment both FMD (P=0.040) and IL6 (P=0.019) significantly improved. FMD correlated with serum testosterone levels (R(2)=0.299; P<0.001). Testosterone increased significantly under vardenafil treatment and returned in the eugonadal range only in hypogonadal men (n=13), without changes in gonadotropins. Chronic vardenafil treatment did not result in relevant side effects. CONCLUSION: This is the first double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial designed to evaluate the effects of chronic treatment of vardenafil on endothelial health-related parameters and sexual hormones in patients affected by a chronic disease. Chronically administered vardenafil is effective and improves endothelial parameters in T2DM patient. Moreover, chronic vardenafil therapy improves hypogonadism in diabetic, hypogonadal men.

Synthesis and photodynamic activity of a panel of BODIPY dyes.

Eight BODIPY dyes were synthesized and used as photosensitizers (PSs) on the human colon carcinoma cell line HCT116. In this panel of molecules, the structure varies in the substituents on pyrrole 2, 6 positions and on the phenyl ring at the indacene 8 position. For these compounds relevant physico-chemical parameters, such as singlet oxygen production, fluorescent quantum yield, absorbance profile and a relative rank of lipophilicity were determined. Our results indicate that some of these novel PSs are very effective in reducing the growth/viability of HCT116 cells when irradiated with a green LED source, whereas they are practically devoid of activity in the dark, up to 5 µM. To evaluate whether cell death is induced under these conditions, flow cytometric analysis of the percentage of apoptotic and autophagic cells was performed on four molecules, chosen for their efficacy/structural characteristics. Our data indicate that phototoxicity likely occurs mainly through apoptotic cell death, whereas autophagy seems to play a minor role in determining cell fate. Furthermore, the relationship between singlet oxygen generation and the PS efficacy is confirmed, thus underscoring the importance of the heavy-atom effect and of the presence of an aryl substituent at dipyrromethene 8 (meso) position. Among the PSs here described, the most efficient BODIPY was successfully tested on three other human cancer cell lines of different tissue origin, MCF7 (breast), A2780 and A2780/CP8 (ovary, sensitive and resistant to cisplatin, respectively), yielding IC(50) values comparable to those obtained on HCT116.