Associations of VEGF Gene Polymorphisms With Erectile Dysfunction and Related Risk Factors

Does erectile dysfunction predict cardiovascular risk? A cross-sectional study of clinical characteristics in patients with erectile dysfunction combined with coronary heart disease

Background

Erectile Dysfunction (ED) is a common sexual dysfunction in men who are unable to consistently obtain and maintain sufficient penile erection to accomplish a satisfactory sexual life. ED is currently considered to be a predictor of cardiovascular disease (CVD), but few studies have observed the association between ED and clinical features of coronary heart disease (CHD). An investigation of the association between ED and clinical characteristics of CHD was carried out using a cross-sectional study design.

Methods

This cross-sectional single-center study was conducted in the Department of Cardiology and included 248 patients. Associations between patients' general information, underlying disease information, coronary heart disease information, and ED severity were statistically and analytically analyzed using SPSS 26.0 software. Patients with comparable clinical characteristics were grouped together using K-means clustering. Finally, ordered logistic regression analysis was performed for general and underlying disease information.

Results

In the comparison of general data, age, education, and weekly exercise were associated with the distribution of ED severity. In the comparison of underlying disease information, the number of underlying diseases, hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, anxiety state, and depressive state were associated with the distribution of ED severity. In the comparison of CHD information, the degree of ED severity was associated with CHD subtypes, lesion sites, number of stenoses, degree of stenosis, and interventional interventions. The time from ED to CHD onset was associated with the subtypes of CHD and the number of stenoses. We clustered the main characteristics of low-risk and high-risk patients and ordered logistic regression analysis found that BMI, smoking, alcoholism, number of underlying diseases, diabetes, anxiety state, and depression state were all risk factors for CHD severity (P < 0.05); the higher the value of the above factors, the more severe the degree of CHD. Age was a protective factor for CHD severity; the younger the patient, the lower the likelihood of myocardial infarction.

Conclusion

ED severity and the time from ED to CHD onset may be predictive of coronary heart disease severity. Reducing smoking and alcohol consumption, maintaining a healthy body weight, and regular physical activity are important in preventing CVD in ED patients.

A genome-wide association study to identify candidate genes for erectile dysfunction

Erectile dysfunction (ED) can be caused by different diseases and controlled by several genetic networks. In this study, to identify the genes related to ED, the expression profiles of normal and ED samples were investigated by the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. Seventeen genes were identified as associated genes with ED. The protein and nucleic acid sequences of selected genes were retrieved from the UCSC database. Selected genes were diverse according to their physicochemical properties and functions. Category function revealed that selected genes are involved in pathways related to humans some diseases. Furthermore, based on protein interactions, genes associated with the insulin pathway had the greatest interaction with the studied genes. To identify the common cis-regulatory elements, the promoter site of the selected genes was retrieved from the UCSC database. The Gapped Local Alignment of Motifs tool was used for finding common conserved motifs into the promoter site of selected genes. Besides, INSR protein as an insulin receptor precursor showed a high potential site for posttranslation modifications, including phosphorylation and N-glycosylation. Also, in this study, two Guanine-Cytosine (GC)-rich regions were identified as conserved motifs in the upstream of studied genes which can be involved in regulating the expression of genes associated with ED. Also, the conserved binding site of miR-29-3p that is involved in various cancers was observed in the 3' untranslated region of genes associated with ED. Our study introduced new genes associated with ED, which can be good candidates for further analyzing related to human ED.

Genetics and erectile dysfunction: leveraging early foundations for new discoveries

There is considerable interest in understanding the genetics of erectile dysfunction (ED). Since early twin studies that suggested a genetic component to ED, multiple candidate gene studies have identified genetic variants that may be associated with ED. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have overcome some of the criticism of the candidate gene approach. Two recent GWAS studies have identified loci near SIM1 that may be associated with ED and have renewed interest in the leptin melanocortin signaling pathway. We review the current literature on the genetic basis of ED by highlighting several candidate genes and genetic variants associated with ED.

Molecular Profile of Priapism Associated with Low Nitric Oxide Bioavailability

Priapism is a disorder in which prolonged penile erection persists uncontrollably, potentially leading to tissue damage. Priapism commonly afflicts patient populations with severely low nitric oxide (NO) bioavailability. Because NO is a primary mediator of erection, the molecular mechanisms involved in priapism pathophysiology associated with low NO bioavailability are not well-understood. The objective of this study was to identify dysregulated molecular targets and signaling pathways in penile tissue of a mouse model of low NO bioavailability that have potential relevance to priapism. Neuronal plus endothelial NO synthase double knockout mice (NOS1/3^-/-) were used as a model of low NO bioavailability. Priapic-like activity was demonstrated in the NOS1/3^-/- mice relative to wild-type (WT) mice by the measurement of prolonged erections following cessation of electrical stimulation of the cavernous nerve. Penile tissue was processed and analyzed by reverse-phase liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. As a result, 1279 total proteins were identified and quantified by spectral counting, 46 of which were down-regulated and 110 of which were up-regulated in NOS1/3^-/- versus WT (P < 0.05). Ingenuity Pathway Analysis of differentially expressed proteins revealed increased protein kinase A and G-protein coupled receptor signaling in NOS1/3^-/- penises, which represent potential mechanisms contributing to priapism for secondary to low NO bioavailability.