ArticleInternational urology and nephrology2015
Castration impairs erectile organ structure and function by inhibiting autophagy and promoting apoptosis of corpus cavernosum smooth muscle cells in rats.
Article in International urology and nephrology, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 16 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
16 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 47 citations in OpenAlex.
- Hyperprolactinemia and male sexual function: focus on erectile dysfunction and sexual desire.International journal of impotence research · 2024Pooled it
- Etiology-oriented rodent models of erectile dysfunction: a narrative review of categorization, modeling strategies, and translational applications.Translational andrology and urology · 2026Review
- Chronic administration of the hydrogen sulfide prodrug SG1002 partially protects against erectile dysfunction resulting from long-term androgen deprivation.Life sciences · 2025Article
- Autophagy in erectile dysfunction: focusing on apoptosis and fibrosis.Asian journal of andrology · 2025Review
- The Role of Autophagy in Erectile Dysfunction.The world journal of men's health · 2025Review
- Long-term administration of resveratrol and MitoQ stimulates cavernosum antioxidant gene expression in a mouse castration model of erectile dysfunction.Life sciences · 2022Article
- Testosterone replacement therapy and erectile dysfunction.International journal of impotence research · 2022Review
- Effect of Late Androgen Replacement Therapy on Erectile Function Through Structural Changes in Castrated Rats.Sexual medicine · 2021Article
- Role of Glucose-Lowering Medications in Erectile Dysfunction.Journal of clinical medicine · 2021Review
- Constitutive LH receptor activity impairs NO-mediated penile smooth muscle relaxation.Reproduction (Cambridge, England) · 2021Article
- Liraglutide Ameliorates Erectile DysfunctionFrontiers in pharmacology · 2020Article
- Morphological and molecular analysis of apoptosis in the corpus cavernosum of rats submitted to a chronic alcoholism model.Acta cirurgica brasileira · 2020Article
- Comparison of two cannulation methods for assessment of intracavernosal pressure in a rat model.PloS one · 2018Article
- Translational Perspective on the Role of Testosterone in Sexual Function and Dysfunction.The journal of sexual medicine · 2016Review
- Human tissue kallikrein-1 protects against the development of erectile dysfunction in a rat model of hyperhomocysteinemia.Asian journal of andrologyArticle
- Vacuum therapy ameliorates erectile dysfunction in bilateral cavernous nerve crush rats by inhibiting apoptosis and activating autophagy.Asian journal of andrologyArticle
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
12 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveThe aim of this study was to determine the changes and underlying mechanisms of erectile organ structure and function in castrated rats. In addition, the regulatory effects of an androgen on autophagy and apoptosis in corpus cavernosum smooth muscle cells (CCSMCs), especially the regulatory effect of androgen on the BECN 1-Bcl-2 interaction, were investigated.
methodsMale Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into three groups (30/group): control group, castration group, and castration with testosterone supplementation group. The erectile function was examined both in vivo and in vitro, by electric stimulation of the cavernous nerve and corpus cavernosum strip bath test, respectively. Transmission electron microscopy, TUNEL assay, Masson's trichrome staining, immunohistochemistry, and western blotting were performed to determine the levels of autophagy and apoptosis, and the structural changes in corpus cavernosum.
resultsCompared with control group, the castration group showed (1) lower erectile function: lower intracavernosal pressure/mean arterial pressure ratio, lower systolic and diastolic capability of corporal strips, and reduced expressions of eNOS and nNOS; (2) greater fibrosis: decreased smooth muscle/collagen ratio, lower expression of α-SMA, and higher expression of TGF-β1; (3) inhibited autophagy: decreased autophagosomes, lower expressions of BECN1 and LC3-II; and (4) enhanced apoptosis: higher apoptotic index and decreased Bcl-2/Bax ratio. Testosterone supplementation partially improved the effects of castration.
conclusionsCastration attenuates erectile function and induces corporeal fibrosis by inhibiting autophagy and promoting apoptosis of CCSMCs in rats. Therefore, our study highlights the important role of androgens in maintaining the integrity of the structure and function of corpus cavernosum in rats through counter-regulation of autophagy and apoptosis, mainly by regulating BECN 1-Bcl-2 interaction.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.