Intervention effect of Yimusake extract on regulating NLRP3/Caspase-1 pathway in rats with erectile dysfunction
Objective:To analyze the intervention effect of Yimusake extract on regulating NLRP3/Caspase-1 pathway in rats with erectile dysfunction.Methods:Forty 8-week-old specific pathogen-free(SPF)rats were selected,and 10 of which as the control.An additional 30 rats were used to establish an erectile dysfunction model.The successfully modeled rats were divided into 3 groups:the model group was fed with physiological saline,the drug control group with sildenafil,and the Yimusake extract group with Yimusake extract.There were 10 rats in each group.After continuous gavage for 28 days,the hematoxylin and eosin(HE)staining was used to observe the pathological and histological characteristics of the corpus cavernosum of the penis in each group of rats.The sexual function indicators of rats in each group were compared.Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA)was used to detect endothelial function indicators such as nitrogen oxide(NOX),endothelin-1(ET-1),nitric oxide(NO),low-density lipoprotein receptor-1(LOX-1)in peripheral blood of rats,as well as oxidative stress indicators such as superoxide dismutase(SOD),glutathione(GSH),and malondialdehyde(MDA).Real-time quantitative PCR was used to detect the relative expression levels of NLRP3 and Caspase-1 mRNA in the corpus cavernosum tissues of rats in each group.Then Western Blot was used to detect the expression of NLRP3 and Caspase-1 proteins in the corpus cavernosum tissues of rats in each group.Results:Morphological observation of the corpus cavernosum of rats in each group showed that red blood cells were present in the sinusoidal space of the corpus cavernosum of rats in the control group.The number of blood sinuses and small blood vessels as well as the density of endothelial cells in the corpus cavernosum of the model group decreased.The number of small blood vessels and blood sinuses in the corpus cavernosum of rats in the drug control group and the Yimusake extract group increased,and the improvement in the morphological characteristics of the corpus cavernosum of rats in the Yimusake extract group was greater than that in the drug control group.Compared with the control group,the other three modeling groups showed a significant decrease in riding frequency,insertion frequency,licking and smelling frequency,sperm density,and sperm survival rate,while the first back climbing time significantly prolonged(P＜0.05).The number of rides,insertions,licks and sniffs as well as sperm density and sperm survival rate in the Yimusake extract group were significantly higher than those in the model group and drug control group,and the first back climbing time was significantly shorter than that in the model group and drug control group(P＜0.05).The ELISA test results showed that compared with the control group,the serum levels of NOX,ET-1,LOX-1,and MDA in the other three modeling groups were significantly increased,while the levels of NO,SOD,and GSH were significantly reduced(P＜0.05).The levels of NOX,ET-1,LOX-1,and MDA in the Yimusake extract group were significantly lower than those in the model group and drug control group,while the levels of NO,SOD,and GSH were significantly higher than those in the model group and drug control group(P＜0.05).The real-time quantitative PCR results showed that compared with the control group,the relative expression levels of NLRP3 and Caspase-1 were significantly increased in the other three modeling groups(P＜0.05),and the relative expression levels of NLRP3 and Caspase-1 in the Yimusake extract group were significantly lower than those in the model group and drug control group(P＜0.05).The Western Blot test results showed that compared with the control group,the expression levels of NLRP3 and Caspase-1 were significantly increased in the other three modeling groups(P＜0.05),and the expression levels of NLRP3 and Caspase-1 in the Yimusake extract group were significantly lower than those in the model group and drug control group(P＜0.05).Conclusions:Yimusake extract can improve sexual function in rats,increase sperm density and the survival rate,and its mechanism of action may be related to inhibiting the NLRP3/Caspase-1 pathway.
国家科技期刊平台
NSTL
万方数据
维普
