Calcitonin gene-related peptide induces phenotypic transformation of corpus cavernosum smooth muscle cells in diabetic rats with erectile dysfunction

• Published in: Zhonghua nan ke xue Vol. 17; no. 10; p. 913
• Main Authors: He, Shu-hua, Wei, An-yang, Ye, Ting-yu, Yang, Yong, Luo, Xin-gui, Liu, Yang, Zhang, Tao
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Chinese
• Published: China 01.10.2011
• Subjects: Animals; Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide - pharmacology; Calcium-Binding Proteins - metabolism; Calponins; Cells, Cultured; Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental - complications; Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental - genetics; Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental - metabolism; Erectile Dysfunction - etiology; Erectile Dysfunction - genetics; Erectile Dysfunction - metabolism; Male; Microfilament Proteins - metabolism; Muscle, Smooth - cytology; Muscle, Smooth - metabolism; Osteopontin - metabolism; Penis - cytology; Penis - drug effects; Penis - metabolism; Phenotype; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley
• ISSN: 1009-3591

To explore the effect of the calcitonin gene related peptide (CGRP) on the phenotypic transformation of corpus cavernosum smooth muscle cells (CCSM) in diabetic rats with erectile dysfunction (ED). Models of diabetes and diabetic ED were established in male Sprague-Dawley rats by administration of streptozotocin, and CCSMs were primarily cultured and subjected to immunocytochemical assay. The cells were divided into a diabetic ED and a normal control group, and exposed to 0, 10, 60 and 100 nmol/L of CGRP for 24 hours. Then the relative expressions of calponin 1 (Cnn1) and osteopontin (OPN) mRNA were determined by real-time fluorescence quantitative RT-PCR (qRT-PCR). The rate of SMalpha-actin positive cells in the CCSMs was (95.94 +/- 0.03) %. The expression of Cnn1 mRNA was significantly lower while that of OPN mRNA remarkably higher in the diabetic ED rats (4.41 +/- 0.29 and 5.28 +/- 0.32) than in the normal controls (10.35 +/- 0.62 and 1.32 +/- 0.24) (P < 0.01). Exposure to 100 nmol/L of CGRP significantly