Zinc improves sexual and erectile function in HAART-treated rats via the upregulation of erectogenic enzymes and maintenance of redox balance

• Published in: The aging male Vol. 26; no. 1; p. 2205517
• Main Authors: Akhigbe, R. E., Hamed, M. A., Odetayo, A. F., Akhigbe, T. M., Oyedokun, P. A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Taylor & Francis 01.12.2023; Taylor & Francis Ltd; Taylor & Francis Group
• Subjects: Acetylcholinesterase - therapeutic use; Animals; Antiretroviral drugs; Antiretroviral Therapy, Highly Active - adverse effects; Enzymes; Erectile Dysfunction - chemically induced; Erectile Dysfunction - drug therapy; Erection; highly active antiretroviral therapy; Humans; inflammation; Male; Mens health; Older people; Oxidation-Reduction; oxidative stress; penile erection; Penile Erection - physiology; Penis; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Up-Regulation; zinc; Zinc - therapeutic use; highly active antiretroviral therapy; Erection; inflammation; penile erection; zinc; oxidative stress
• ISSN: 1368-5538; 1473-0790
• DOI: 10.1080/13685538.2023.2205517

HAART has been shown to impair sexual function and penile erection via perturbation of penile redox balance, while zinc has been established to exert antioxidant activity. Therefore, this study focused on the role and associated molecular mechanism of zinc in HAART-induced sexual and erectile dysfunction. Twenty male Wistar rats were randomly grouped into four (n = 5 rats per group); the control, zinc-treated, HAART-treated, and HAART + zinc-treated groups. Treatments were per os daily for eight weeks. Zinc co-administration significantly improved HAART-induced increase in the latencies of mount, intromission, and ejaculations. Zinc also attenuated HAART-induced reduction in the motivation to mate, penile reflex/erection, and frequencies of mount, intromission, and ejaculations. In addition, zinc co-treatment improved HAART-induced decline in penile NO and cGMP, dopamine, and serum testosterone. More so, zinc prevented HAART-induced rise in penile activities of monoamine oxidase, acetylcholinesterase, phosphodiesterase-5, and arginase. Furthermore, concomitant treatment with zinc ameliorated HAART-induced penile oxidative stress and inflammation. In conclusion, our present findings show that zinc improves sexual and erectile function in HAART-treated rats by upregulating erectogenic enzymes via the maintenance of penile redox balance.