PDE5 inhibitor sildenafil attenuates cardiac microRNA 214 upregulation and pro-apoptotic signaling after chronic alcohol ingestion in mice

Analysis of hsa-miR-19a-3p and hsa-miR-19b-3p modulation and phosphodiesterase type 5 expression in the vaginal epithelium of premenopausal women with genital arousal disorder

BACKGROUND

Few studies have investigated the role of the phosphodiesterase type 5A (PDE5A) isoenzyme in female genital tissue disorders, exclusively taken from cadavers, as well as the epigenetic mechanisms responsible for the regulation of PDE5A levels.

AIM

The aim was to study the in vivo association between microRNA (miRNA) expression and the expression levels of PDE5A in women with female genital arousal disorder (FGAD) compared with healthy women.

METHODS

Premenopausal women affected by FGAD (cases) and sexually healthy women (control group) underwent microbiopsy of the periclitoral anterior vaginal wall for the collection of tissue samples. Computational analyses were preliminarily performed in order to identify miRNAs involved in the modulation of PDE5A by using miRNA-messenger RNA interaction prediction tools. Differences in the expression levels of miRNAs and PDE5A were finally investigated in cases and control subjects by using the droplet digital polymerase chain reaction amplification system and stratifying women considering their age, number of pregnancies, and body mass index.

OUTCOMES

Expression levels of miRNAs were able to target PDE5A and the tissue expression in women with FGAD compared with healthy women.

RESULTS

The experimental analyses were performed on 22 (43.1%) cases and 29 (56.9%) control subjects. Two miRNAs with the highest interaction levels with PDE5A, hsa-miR-19a-3p (miR-19a) and hsa-miR-19b-3p (miR-19b), were identified and selected for validation analyses. A reduction of the expression levels of both miRNAs was observed in women with FGAD compared with the control subjects (P < .05). Moreover, PDE5A expression levels were higher in women with FGAD and lower in women without sexual dysfunctions (P < .05). Finally, a correlation between body mass index and the expression levels of miR-19a was found (P < .01).

CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS

Women with FGAD had higher levels of PDE5 compared with control subjects; therefore, the administration of PDE5 inhibitors (PDE5 inhibitors) could be useful in women with FGAD.

STRENGTHS AND LIMITATIONS

The strength of the current study was to analyze genital tissue obtained in vivo from premenopausal women. A limitation was to not investigate other factors, including endothelial nitric oxide synthetases, nitric oxide, and cyclic guanosine monophosphate.

CONCLUSION

The results of the present study indicate that the modulation of selected miRNAs could influence PDE5A expression in genital tissues in healthy women or in those with FGAD. Such findings further suggest that treatment with PDE5 inhibitors, as a modulator of PDE5A expression, could be indicated for women with FGAD.

Epigenetic modification in alcohol use disorder and alcoholic cardiomyopathy: From pathophysiology to therapeutic opportunities

Alcohol consumption prompts detrimental psychological, pathophysiological and health issues, representing one of the major causes of death worldwide. Alcohol use disorder (AUD), which is characterized by compulsive alcohol intake and loss of control over alcohol usage, arises from a complex interplay between genetic and environmental factors. More importantly, long-term abuse of alcohol is often tied with unfavorable cardiac remodeling and contractile alterations, a cadre of cardiac responses collectively known as alcoholic cardiomyopathy (ACM). Recent evidence has denoted a pivotal role for ethanol-triggered epigenetic modifications, the interface between genome and environmental cues, in the organismal and cellular responses to ethanol exposure. To-date, three major epigenetic mechanisms (DNA methylation, histone modifications, and RNA-based mechanisms) have been identified for the onset and development of AUD and ACM. Importantly, these epigenetic changes induced by alcohol may be detectable in the blood, thus offering diagnostic, therapeutic, and prognostic promises of epigenetic markers for AUD and alcoholic complications. In addition, several epigenetic drugs have shown efficacies in the management of alcohol abuse, loss of control for alcohol usage, relapse, drinking-related anxiety and behavior in withdrawal. In this context, medications targeting epigenetic modifications may hold promises for pharmaceutical management of AUD and ACM.