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Li T, Tian Y, Zhong Q, Chen P, Zhang J, Du G, Li L, Jiang Y, Jiang K. HCG supplement did not accelerate tunica albuginea remodeling to facilitate penile growth. Sci Rep 2023; 13:16519. [PMID: 37783699 PMCID: PMC10545796 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-38888-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2022] [Accepted: 07/17/2023] [Indexed: 10/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Penile size is closely concerned and short penis contributes serious sexual dysfunction and tremendous psychological problems to couples. Androgen is essential for penile development and testosterone replacement is recommended to patients with micropenis. We previously proved that inhibiting activity of lysyl oxidase (Anti-lysyl oxidase, Anti-LOX) combined with vacuum erectile device (VED) lengthened penis by remodeling tunica albuginea. We thus explored whether HCG supplement could accelerate tunica albuginea remodeling (induced by Anti-LOX + VED) to promote penile growth. Forty-two SD male rats (4 weeks old) were purchased and divided into 7 groups: control, Anti-LOX, HCG, VED (with a negative aspirated pressure of - 300 mmHg), Anti-LOX + VED, HCG + VED, and Anti-LOX + HCG + VED. After an intervention for 4 weeks, all rats' penile length, exposed penile length, and erectile function were measured. Serum samples were collected to detect hormone levels and penile corpus cavernosum were harvested for histo-pathological analysis. All intervention groups showed significantly longer penis than controlled rats. Anti-LOX sharply increased penile length and exposed length by 15% and 9% respectively, this lengthening effect was more obvious in Anti-LOX + VED group (26% and 19%, respectively). Although HCG promoted penile length by 8%, this effect was slight for exposed length (3%). Moreover, Anti-LOX + HCG + VED dramatically increased penile length and exposed length by 22% and 18%, respectively, which was similar with that in Anti-LOX + VED (26% and 19%, respectively). HCG dramatically stimulated testosterone and dihydrotestosterone secretions than control group, whether with or without Anti-LOX and VED; while it induced more AR expression than other groups. Finally, all procedures did not improve or deteriorate normal erectile function. Although we verified that Anti-LOX + VED lengthened penis by inducing tunica albuginea remodeling, however, HCG supplement did not synergize with Anti-LOX + VED to accelerate albuginea remodeling to facilitate penile growth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tao Li
- Department of Urology, Guizhou Provincial People's Hospital, 184 Zhongshan East Road, Guiyang, 550002, Guizhou, People's Republic of China
- Department of Urology, Affiliated Hospital of Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, People's Republic of China
| | - Yuan Tian
- Department of Urology, Affiliated Hospital of Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, People's Republic of China
| | - Quliang Zhong
- Department of Urology, Affiliated Hospital of Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, People's Republic of China
| | - Peng Chen
- Department of Urology, Affiliated Hospital of Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, People's Republic of China
| | - Junhao Zhang
- Department of Urology, Affiliated Hospital of Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, People's Republic of China
| | - Guangshi Du
- Translational Medicine Research Center of Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, People's Republic of China
| | - Lei Li
- Gastrointestinal Surgery Center, Sichuan Cancer Hospital and Institute, Sichuan Cancer Center, School of Medicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, People's Republic of China
| | - Yiting Jiang
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Affiliated Hospital of Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, People's Republic of China.
| | - Kehua Jiang
- Department of Urology, Guizhou Provincial People's Hospital, 184 Zhongshan East Road, Guiyang, 550002, Guizhou, People's Republic of China.
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Ma YM, Wu KJ, Dang Q, Shi Q, Gao Y, Guo P, Xu S, Wang XY, He DL, Gong YG. Testosterone regulates keratin 33B expression in rat penis growth through androgen receptor signaling. Asian J Androl 2015; 16:817-23. [PMID: 24994782 PMCID: PMC4236322 DOI: 10.4103/1008-682x.129935] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Androgen therapy is the mainstay of treatment for the hypogonadotropic hypogonadal micropenis because it obviously enhances penis growth in prepubescent microphallic patients. However, the molecular mechanisms of androgen treatment leading to penis growth are still largely unknown. To clarify this well-known phenomenon, we successfully generated a castrated male Sprague Dawley rat model at puberty followed by testosterone administration. Interestingly, compared with the control group, testosterone treatment stimulated a dose-dependent increase of penis weight, length, and width in castrated rats accompanied with a dramatic recovery of the pathological changes of the penis. Mechanistically, testosterone administration substantially increased the expression of androgen receptor (AR) protein. Increased AR protein in the penis could subsequently initiate transcription of its target genes, including keratin 33B (Krt33b). Importantly, we demonstrated that KRT33B is generally expressed in the rat penis and that most KRT33B expression is cytoplasmic. Furthermore, AR could directly modulate its expression by binding to a putative androgen response element sequence of the Krt33b promoter. Overall, this study reveals a novel mechanism facilitating penis growth after testosterone treatment in precastrated prepubescent animals, in which androgen enhances the expression of AR protein as well as its target genes, such as Krt33b.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Da-Lin He
- Department of Urology, First Affiliated Hospital of Medical School, Xi'an Jiaotong University; Oncology Research Lab, Key Laboratory of Environment and Genes Related to Diseases, Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China, Xi'an 710061, China
| | - Yong-Guang Gong
- Department of Urology, First Affiliated Hospital of Medical School, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, China
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Okumu LA, Bruinton S, Braden TD, Simon L, Goyal HO. Estrogen-induced maldevelopment of the penis involves down-regulation of myosin heavy chain 11 (MYH11) expression, a biomarker for smooth muscle cell differentiation. Biol Reprod 2012; 87:109. [PMID: 22976277 DOI: 10.1095/biolreprod.112.103556] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Cavernous smooth muscle cells are essential components in penile erection. In this study, we investigated effects of estrogen exposure on biomarkers for smooth muscle cell differentiation in the penis. Neonatal rats received diethylstilbestrol (DES), with or without the estrogen receptor (ESR) antagonist ICI 182,780 (ICI) or the androgen receptor (AR) agonist dihydrotestosterone (DHT), from Postnatal Days 1 to 6. Tissues were collected at 7, 10, or 21 days of age. The smooth muscle cell biomarker MYH11 was studied in depth because microarray data showed it was significantly down-regulated, along with other biomarkers, in DES treatment. Quantitative real time-PCR and Western blot analyses showed 50%-80% reduction (P ≤ 0.05) in Myh11 expression in DES-treated rats compared to that in controls; and ICI and DHT coadministration mitigated the decrease. Temporally, from 7 to 21 days of age, Myh11 expression was onefold increased (P ≥ 0.05) in DES-treated rats versus threefold increased (P ≤ 0.001) in controls, implying the long-lasting inhibitory effect of DES on smooth muscle cell differentiation. Immunohistochemical localization of smooth muscle alpha actin, another biomarker for smooth muscle cell differentiation, showed fewer cavernous smooth muscle cells in DES-treated animals than in controls. Additionally, DES treatment significantly up-regulated Esr1 mRNA expression and suppressed the neonatal testosterone surge by 90%, which was mitigated by ICI coadministration but not by DHT coadministration. Collectively, results provided evidence that DES treatment in neonatal rats inhibited cavernous smooth muscle cell differentiation, as shown by down-regulation of MYH11 expression at the mRNA and protein levels and by reduced immunohistochemical staining of smooth muscle alpha actin. Both the ESR and the AR pathways probably mediate this effect.
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Affiliation(s)
- L A Okumu
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Tuskegee University, Tuskegee, Alabama 36088, USA
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Fraley GS, Steiner RA, Lent KL, Brenowitz EA. Seasonal changes in androgen receptor mRNA in the brain of the white-crowned sparrow. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2010; 166:66-71. [PMID: 19686750 PMCID: PMC2824064 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2009.08.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2009] [Revised: 07/30/2009] [Accepted: 08/11/2009] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
In songbirds, neurons that regulate learned song behavior undergo extensive seasonal plasticity in their number and size in relation to the bird's reproductive status. Seasonal plasticity of these brain regions is primarily regulated by changes in circulating concentrations of testosterone. Androgen receptors are present in all of the major song nuclei, but it is unknown whether levels of androgen receptor mRNA in the telencephalic song regions HVC, the robust nucleus of the arcopallium, and the lateral magnocellular nucleus of the anterior nidopallium change as a function of season in white-crowned sparrows. To determine whether seasonal changes in levels of androgen receptor mRNA are specific to the song control system, we also measured levels of androgen receptor mRNA in a limbic nucleus, the lateral division of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (the lateral division of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis). We found that levels of androgen receptor mRNA were higher in HVC and the lateral division of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis of birds in the breeding condition compared with the nonbreeding condition; however, we observed no seasonal differences in levels of androgen receptor mRNA in either the robust nucleus of the arcopallium or the lateral magnocellular nucleus of the anterior nidopallium. These results are consistent with previous observations that seasonal plasticity of the song nuclei results from testosterone acting directly on HVC, which then exerts transsynaptic trophic effects on its efferent targets. The seasonal change in the expression of androgen receptor in HVC may be one component of the cellular mechanisms underlying androgenic effects on seasonal plasticity of the song control nuclei.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gregory S Fraley
- Department of Biology & Neuroscience Program, Hope College, Holland, MI 49423, USA
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Goyal HO, Braden TD, Williams CS, Williams JW. Estrogen-induced developmental disorders of the rat penis involve both estrogen receptor (ESR)- and androgen receptor (AR)-mediated pathways. Biol Reprod 2009; 81:507-16. [PMID: 19420389 DOI: 10.1095/biolreprod.108.071951] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
This study tested the hypothesis that the estrogen receptor (ESR) pathway, androgen receptor (AR) pathway, or both mediate estrogen-induced developmental penile disorders. Rat pups received diethylstilbestrol (DES), with or without the ESR antagonist ICI 182,780 (ICI) or the AR agonist dihydrotestosterone (DHT) or testosterone (T), from Postnatal Days 1 to 6. Testicular T concentration, penile morphology and morphometry, and/or fertility was determined at age 7, 28, or 150 days. DES treatment alone caused 90% reduction in the neonatal intratesticular T surge; this reduction was prevented by ICI coadministration, but not by DHT or T coadministration. Unlike the T surge, coadministration of ICI and coadministration of DHT or T mitigated penile deformities and loss of fertility. Generally, ICI, DHT, or T treatment alone did not alter penile morphology; however, fertility was 20% that of controls in ICI-treated rats vs. 70%-90% in DHT- or T-treated rats. The lower fertility in the rats treated with ICI alone could be due to altered sexual behavior, as these males did not deposit vaginal plugs. In conclusion, observations that both an ESR antagonist and AR agonists prevent penile deformities and infertility suggest that both pathways are involved in estrogen-induced penile disorders. Observations that coadministration of ICI, but not DHT or T, prevents the DES-induced reduction in the neonatal T surge suggest that, although ICI exerts its mitigating effect both at the level of Leydig cells and penile stromal cells, DHT and T do so only at the level of stromal cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- H O Goyal
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Biology/CBR/RCMI, College of Veterinary Medicine, Tuskegee University, Tuskegee, AL 36088, USA.
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Yang R, Huang YC, Lin G, Wang G, Hung S, Dai YT, Sun ZY, Lue TF, Lin CS. Lack of direct androgen regulation of PDE5 expression. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2009; 380:758-62. [PMID: 19338748 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2009.01.144] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2009] [Accepted: 01/22/2009] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
It has been reported that penile PDE5 expression was under androgen regulation. However it remained unknown whether the observed change in PDE5 expression in castrated animals was under direct androgen regulation or due to changes in smooth muscle content. In the present study we showed that castration of rats caused a reduction of penile size and cavernous smooth muscle content. Immunostaining detected concomitant reduction of PDE5 and alpha smooth muscle actin (alpha-SMA) expression in the corpus cavernosum of castrated rats. Real-time PCR and Western blotting detected no change of PDE5 expression when normalized with alpha-SMA expression in castrated rats. Androgen receptor (AR) expression was increased while PDE5 expression remained unchanged in DHT-treated rat cavernous smooth muscle cells (CSMC). Prostate specific antigen (PSA) promoter activity was upregulated while PDE5A promoter activity remained unchanged in DHT-treated CSMC. Thus, PDE5 expression was not under direct androgen regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rong Yang
- Knuppe Molecular Urology Laboratory, Department of Urology, School of Medicine, University of California, 533 Parnassus Ave., Box 0738, San Francisco, CA 94143-0738, USA
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Goyal HO, Braden TD, Williams CS, Dalvi P, Mansour M, Williams JW. Estrogen-induced abnormal accumulation of fat cells in the rat penis and associated loss of fertility depends upon estrogen exposure during critical period of penile development. Toxicol Sci 2005; 87:242-54. [PMID: 15976194 DOI: 10.1093/toxsci/kfi233] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
We previously reported that diethylstilbestrol (DES) or estradiol valerate (EV) exposure at a dose of 0.10-0.12 mg/kg, or higher, per day, on alternate days, from postnatal days 2-12, resulted in abnormal penis development and infertility (H. O. Goyal et al., 2005, J. Androl. 26, 32-43). The objective of this study was to identify a critical developmental period(s) during which EV exposure results in the observed penile abnormalities. Male pups received EV at a dose of 0.10-0.12 mg/kg on postnatal day(s) 1, 1-3, 4-6, 1-6, 7-12, 13-18, 19-24, or 25-30. Fertility was tested at 102-115 days of age and tissues were examined at 117-137 days. Both penile morphology and fertility were unaltered in rats treated with EV after 12 days of age. Conversely, except in rats treated on postnatal day 1 only, none of the males treated prior to 12 days of age sired pups, and all had abnormal penises, including varying degrees of abnormal accumulation of fat cells and loss of cavernous spaces and smooth muscle cells in the corpora cavernosa penis, which were maximal in the 1-6-day group. Also, the preputial sheath was partially released or its release was delayed, and the weight of the bulbospongiosus muscle was significantly reduced. Plasma testosterone (T) in the 1-6- and 4-6-day groups and intratesticular T in the 4-6-day group were significantly lower. The testosterone surge, characteristic of controls in the first week of life, was suppressed in the 1-3-day group. Estrogen receptor alpha mRNA expression was enhanced in the body of the penis in the 1-3-day group, but not in the 13-18-day group. Hence, EV exposure prior to 12 days of age (as short as 1-3 days postnatal), but not after 12 days of age, results in long-term abnormal penile morphology, characterized by abnormal accumulation of fat cells in the corpora cavernosa penis and, consequently, loss of fertility.
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Affiliation(s)
- H O Goyal
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Tuskegee University, Tuskegee, Alabama, USA.
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