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67th Annual Meeting Abstracts
Oxidative Stress In The Penis: Friend Or Foe?
*Parviz K Kavoussi, *Joseph H Ellen, Raymond A Costabile, *Terry T Turner, *Jeffrey J Lysiak
The University of Virginia Health System, Charlottesville, VA
Introduction:
Erectile dysfunction affects 30 million men in the U.S. Oxidative stress (OS) in certain organs results in tissue injury culminating in cell death. We sought to determine effects of OS on cavernosal tissue.
Materials & Methods:
OS to the murine penis was induced via two models: 1) hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) was microinjected directly into the corpus cavernosum and 2) a priapism model in which the base of the penis was ligated following a vacuum-induced erection. OS was assessed by 8-hydroxy-2’-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) immunostaining and histological examinations to assess for neutrophil recruitment, vasculitis, cavernosal damage, and apoptotic cells. Intracavernosal pressures (ICP) were obtained before and during cavernosal nerve electrical stimulation (CNES) in both control and H2O2 injected penes.
Results:
Microinjection of H2O2 into the corpus cavernosum caused an increase in OS as determined by 8-OHdG immunostaining at 24, 48, and 72 hours post-injection. However, there was no increase in apoptotic cell death or neutrophil recruitment to the corporal tissue in either the H2O2 injected or the priapism model. Neither was a difference observed in erectile function between control mice and those subject to intracavernosal H2O2 injection.
Conclusions:
These results support the hypothesis that, unlike other organs that are profoundly affected by OS, the penis is refractory to damage induced by single or prolonged episodes of OS. Since normal erections cause periods of hypoxia and potential OS, the penis may have protective mechanisms against OS that may account for the relative lack of tissue damage after prolonged erections or priapism.
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