Effect of liver cirrhosis on erectile function in rats: A study combining bioinformatics analysis and experimental research

Abstract

To explore the mechanism through which liver cirrhosis (LC) causes erectile dysfunction (ED). Bioinformatic analysis was used to predict the potential signalling pathways in LC-induced ED, and N-nitrosodiethylamine was used to establish a rat model of LC. H&E staining, Western blotting and RT-qPCR were used to detect pathological tissue damage and changes in mRNA and protein expression levels. In addition, the expression levels of sex hormones such as estradiol (E2), prolactin (PRL) and testosterone (T)were measured. The hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) pathway was an important pathway in our bioinformatics prediction. Pathological damages were detected in the liver and penile tissues of the model rats. Compared with the normal group's serum hormone levels, E2 and PRL were increased in LC rats, while T was decreased (p < 0.01).The mRNA and protein expression results from penis tissues showed that endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) were both downregulated, and HIF-1α was upregulated in the model group compared to the normal group (p < 0.01). These data suggest that LC hinders erectile function and causes histopathological changes in the penis by affecting the expression of HIF-1α, eNOS, iNOS, E2, PRL and T.