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Rapamycin Suppresses Penile NADPH Oxidase Activity to Preserve Erectile Function in Mice Fed a Western Diet.

Biomedicines
December 30, 2021
Justin D La Favor et al. (4 authors)
Journal ArticleAnimal Study
Study Details

Study Goal

The researchers aimed to determine if mTOR activates NADPH oxidase in the penis and assess the functional relevance of this pathway in a model of diet-induced erectile dysfunction.

Results Summary

The Western diet impaired erectile function and increased penile NADPH oxidase-mediated ROS, which were suppressed by rapamycin. mTOR activation and NADPH oxidase subunit expression were elevated in WD-fed mice and reduced by rapamycin.

Population

Male mice

Effective Dosage

Not specified

Duration

12 weeks (with rapamycin treatment in the final 4 weeks)

Interactions

None mentioned

Extracted Claims (10)
InterventionDirectionEndpointPopulationDosageImpactClaim #
Western style diet (WD)
decrease
erectile function
Male mice
-
impaired
#1
rapamycin
increase
erectile function
WD-mice
-
preserved
#2
Western style diet (WD)
increase
Penile NADPH oxidase-mediated ROS
WD-mice
-
elevated
#3
rapamycin
decrease
Penile NADPH oxidase-mediated ROS
WD-mice
-
suppressed
#4
Western style diet (WD)
increase
active site phosphorylation of mTOR
WD-mice
-
increased
#5
Western style diet (WD)
increase
active site phosphorylation of p70S6K
WD-mice
-
increased
#6
Western style diet (WD)
increase
expression of NADPH oxidase subunits
WD-mice
-
increased
#7
rapamycin
decrease
active site phosphorylation of mTOR
WD-mice
-
suppressed
#8
rapamycin
decrease
active site phosphorylation of p70S6K
WD-mice
-
suppressed
#9
rapamycin
decrease
expression of NADPH oxidase subunits
WD-mice
-
suppressed
#10
Abstract

The mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) is a nutrient-sensitive cellular signaling kinase that has been implicated in the excess production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). NADPH oxidase-derived ROS have been implicated in erectile dysfunction pathogenesis. The objective of this study was to determine if mTOR is an activator of NADPH oxidase in the penis and to determine the functional relevance of this pathway in a translationally relevant model of diet-induced erectile dysfunction. Male mice were fed a control diet or a high-fat, high-sucrose Western style diet (WD) for 12 weeks and treated with vehicle or rapamycin for the final 4 weeks of the dietary intervention. Following the intervention, erectile function was assessed by cavernous nerve-stimulated intracavernous pressure measurement, in vivo ROS production was measured in the penis using a microdialysis approach, and relative protein contents from the corpus cavernosum were determined by Western blot. Erectile function was impaired in vehicle treated WD-mice and was preserved in rapamycin treated WD-mice. Penile NADPH oxidase-mediated ROS were elevated in WD-mice and suppressed by rapamycin treatment. Western blot analysis suggests mTOR activation with WD by increased active site phosphorylation of mTOR and p70S6K, and increased expression of NADPH oxidase subunits, all of which were suppressed by rapamycin. These data suggest that mTOR is an upstream mediator of NADPH oxidase in the corpus cavernosum in response to a chronic Western diet, which has an adverse effect on erectile function.

Study Links
Quality Scores
Safety20
Efficacy85/10
Quality75/10
Citation Metrics
Total Citations2
Citations/Year0.5
Relative Citation Ratio0.21
NIH Percentile10.5%
Research Impact Scores
APT Score0.05
Weight Score1.06
Normalized Score0.57
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