Relationship between oxidative stress and erectile function

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate markers of inflammation and oxidative stress in the corpus cavernosum (CC) and to compare levels of inflammatory markers recorded in CC to venous blood from the arm to examine the potential impact of inflammatory parameters on erectile function and endothelial dysfunction in vitro. Ninety-seven patients with no complaint of erectile dysfunction (ED) at inclusion were prospectively included and completed the Erectile Function domain of the IIEF questionnaire. Several parameters, including lipids, MPO-dependent oxidised LDL (Mox-LDL), IL-8, IL-18, were measured. After RNA extraction, the expression of eNOS was analysed. A paired t-test was used for comparisons between arm and CC blood results. A two-way ANOVA was used to estimate the effects of IL-18 and IL-8 on the IIEF score. Mean patient age was 59 ± 14.5 years. IL-18, Mox-LDL, and Mox-LDL/ApoB levels were significantly increased in CC compared to arm blood. The IIEF score was correlated with IL-18 levels in the venous blood (R = -0.31, p = .003) and in the CC (R = -0.37, p = .004) and with IL-8 (R = -0.31, p = .009 and R = -0.28, respectively, p = .02). There was a significant effect with the IL-18 on IIEF potentiated by high serum IL-8 concentrations. IL-18 and Mox-LDL significantly decreased eNOS mRNA expression in human aortic endothelial cell line (HAEC). These preliminary results address the importance of inflammation in the CC and highlight a difference in marker concentrations between venous and CC blood. However, they do not show any difference in terms of clinical erectile score predictivity. Involvement of inflammatory cytokines isolated in CC in the genesis of ED requires further studies.

Obesity and Erectile Dysfunction: From Bench to Clinical Implication

“…Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 are major pro-inflammatory cytokines produced by hypertrophied adipocytes. They induce inflammatory gene transcript in endothelial cells [39] and suppresses eNOS expression [40]. Corpora cavernosa from TNF-α-infused mice shows attenuated nonadrenergic-noncholinergic nerve-mediated relaxation and suppressed eNOS and nNOS gene expression [41].…”

The relationship between oxidative balance score and erectile dysfunction in the U.S. male adult population

“…However, the results from two cross-sectional studies examining the relationship between serum markers of oxidative stress and ED are conflicting. In a 2017 cross-sectional study by Thierry et al a negative correlation was found between IL-18 and IL-8 levels and International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF) score, independent of factors such as age, BMI, smoking status, diabetes status, adiponectin, Mox-LDL, and testosterone 11 . Conversely, a 2022 cross-sectional study by Fujita et al did not find a significant correlation between serum markers of oxidative stress and IIEF scores after adjusting for variables such as age, hypertension, diabetes, calcium blocker usage, β-blocker usage, the Brinkman index, and the eGFR 10 .…”

Exploring the application of sildenafil for high-fat diet-induced erectile dysfunction based on interleukin-18-mediated NLRP3/Caspase-1 signaling pathway

“… 29 IL-18 can promote penile tissue damage and dysfunction by affecting the infiltration of downstream monocytes. 30 Studies have shown that IL-18 levels increase in ED patients, thus promoting the activation of downstream inflammatory signaling pathways and ultimately promoting the inflammatory destruction of penile tissue. 19 , 31 Second, IL-18 can further induce the secretion of downstream chemokines through the inflammatory cascade reaction, and promote their chemokines to the site of infection, further exacerbating the inflammatory response.…”