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Updated: Aug 14, 2026
Intracavernosal Pressure Recording to Evaluate Erectile Function in Rodents
Published on: June 6, 2018
[Changes of morphology and erectile function of the cavernous tissues in spontaneously hypertensive rats]
Yun-Fei Liu1, Li-Quan Hu, Xin-Min Zheng
1Department of Urology, Zhongnan Hospital, Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei 430071, China.
Objective:
To study the changes of morphology and erectile function of the cavernous tissues in spontaneously hypertensive rats.
Methods:
Spontaneously hypertensive male rats (SHR) (n = 15) and normotensive Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKY) (n = 15) were studied for 20 weeks. Systolic blood pressure (SBP) was measured weekly by the tail/cuff method. Erectile function was tested by injecting apomorphine (APO). The expression alpha-smooth muscle actin (alpha-SMA) and collagen III was examined by immunohistochemistry.
Results:
SHR showed a higher systolic blood pressure (205.7 +/- 11.9 vs 114.3 +/- 10.2 mm Hg) and a lower erection frequency (0.6 +/- 0.5 vs 2.4 +/- 0.6). The expression of alpha-smooth muscle actin and collagen III in the cavernous tissues in the SHR was significantly higher than in the WKY.
Conclusion:
The erectile function of the penis is markedly affected by hypertension, and the pathological changes may be one of the most important mechanisms of decreased erectile function in SHR.