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The influence of ethanol intake on RhoA/Rho kinase signaling pathway in corpus cavernosum of OLETF rats

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Abstract

Purpose

To investigate the effect of the ethanol on corpus cavernosum of the type 2 diabetes mellitus (type 2 DM) rat, since previous studies have reported the positive effect of moderate drinking on type 2 DM and endothelial function.

Methods

Otsuka Long Evans Tokushima Fatty (OLETF, n = 28) and Long Evans Tokushima Otsuka (LETO, n = 28) male rats were assigned to four groups: control (LETO, n = 14), control/ethanol (LETO with ethanol, n = 14), fatty (OLETF, n = 14) and fatty/ethanol (OLETF with ethanol, n = 14). The control/ethanol and fatty/ethanol groups were fed Lieber-DeCarli Regular EtOH. After 10 weeks, an intraperitoneal glucose tolerance test (IPGTT) was performed. RT-PCR and Western blot analyses of the RhoA/Rho kinase in the corpus cavernosum were performed. The expression of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) and neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) in the corpus cavernosum was evaluated by immunohistochemistry.

Results

After a 10-week ethanol intake, the body weight and the IPGTT of the fatty/ethanol group were significantly lower compared with the fatty group (p < 0.05). A significantly increased mRNA and protein expression in the fatty group was observed compared with the control group by RT-PCR and Western blot analyses (p < 0.05): A significantly decreased expression was observed in the fatty/ethanol group compared with the fatty group (p < 0.05). The significantly increased expression of eNOS was observed in the fatty/ethanol group compared with the fatty group by immunohistochemistry.

Conclusions

Long-term ethanol intake may preserve the erectile function in type 2 DM through the down-regulation of the RhoA/Rho kinase pathway.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Urology, Seoul St.Mary’s Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, 505 Banpo-dong, Seocho-gu, Seoul, 137-701, Republic of Korea

    Su Jin Kim, Woong Jin Bae, Jin Hee Han, Sung Hoo Hong, Sae Woong Kim, Tae-Kon Hwang & Ji Youl Lee

  2. Department of Psychiatry, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Republic of Korea

    Dai Jin Kim

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  1. Su Jin Kim
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  2. Woong Jin Bae
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  3. Jin Hee Han
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  4. Sung Hoo Hong
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  5. Sae Woong Kim
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  7. Dai Jin Kim
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Correspondence to Ji Youl Lee.

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Kim, S.J., Bae, W.J., Han, J.H. et al. The influence of ethanol intake on RhoA/Rho kinase signaling pathway in corpus cavernosum of OLETF rats. Int Urol Nephrol 45, 429–438 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11255-012-0342-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11255-012-0342-6

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