1
|
Pallotti F, Costa D, Hirsch MN, Mercuri V, Di Chiano S, Paoli ED, Faja F, Rizzo F, Lenzi A, Paoli D, Lombardo F, Gargiulo P. Erectile function and androgen and estrogen beta receptor gene polymorphisms in acromegalic men. J Endocrinol Invest 2024; 47:141-147. [PMID: 37306894 PMCID: PMC10776471 DOI: 10.1007/s40618-023-02131-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2023] [Accepted: 06/01/2023] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE Sexual dysfunctions are often experienced by male patients with acromegaly, due to a combination of hypogonadism and other comorbidities, but are a scarcely investigated complication. Erectile dysfunction is also closely related to cardiovascular diseases through endothelial dysfunction. Therefore, this project aimed to assess the prevalence of erectile dysfunction in a population of acromegalic men and evaluate its association with cardio-metabolic disorders, also exploring associations with androgen and estrogen receptor gene polymorphisms. METHODS Sexually active men aged 18-65 with previous diagnosis of acromegaly were recruited. Clinical and laboratory data were retrospectively collected. Each patient also provided a blood sample for AR and ERβ gene polymorphisms analyses and filled out the IIEF-15 questionnaire. RESULTS Twenty men with previous diagnosis of acromegaly (mean age 48.4 ± 10.0 years) were recruited. 13/20 subjects (65%) had erectile dysfunction, but only four had a concurrent biochemical hypogonadism, with no significant correlation with IIEF-15 scores. Total testosterone negatively correlated with sexual intercourse satisfaction domain (ρ = - 0.595; p = 0.019) and general satisfaction domain (ρ = - 0.651; p = 0.009). IGF-1 levels negatively correlated with biochemical hypogonadism (ρ = - 0.585; p = 0.028). The number of CAG and CA repeats in AR and ERβ receptors genes was not significantly associated with IIEF-15 scores or with GH/IGF-1 levels, but a negative correlation between CA repeats and the presence of cardiomyopathy (ρ = - 0.846; p = 0.002) was present. CONCLUSIONS Men with acromegaly have a high prevalence of erectile dysfunction, but it does not appear to be correlated with treatments, testosterone levels and AR/ER-beta signaling. Nonetheless, a shorter CA polymorphic trait (ERbeta) is associated with the presence of cardiomyopathy. If confirmed, these data may suggest an association between an incorrect hormonal balance and increased cardiovascular risk in acromegaly subjects.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- F Pallotti
- Laboratory of Seminology‑Sperm Bank "Loredana Gandini", Department of Experimental Medicine, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Viale del Policlinico 155, 00161, Rome, Italy
- Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, University of Enna "Kore", Contrada Santa Panasia, 94100, Enna, Italy
| | - D Costa
- Department of Experimental Medicine, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Viale del Policlinico 155, 00161, Rome, Italy
| | - M N Hirsch
- Laboratory of Seminology‑Sperm Bank "Loredana Gandini", Department of Experimental Medicine, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Viale del Policlinico 155, 00161, Rome, Italy
| | - V Mercuri
- Department of Experimental Medicine, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Viale del Policlinico 155, 00161, Rome, Italy
| | - S Di Chiano
- Laboratory of Seminology‑Sperm Bank "Loredana Gandini", Department of Experimental Medicine, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Viale del Policlinico 155, 00161, Rome, Italy
| | - E D Paoli
- Laboratory of Seminology‑Sperm Bank "Loredana Gandini", Department of Experimental Medicine, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Viale del Policlinico 155, 00161, Rome, Italy
| | - F Faja
- Laboratory of Seminology‑Sperm Bank "Loredana Gandini", Department of Experimental Medicine, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Viale del Policlinico 155, 00161, Rome, Italy
| | - F Rizzo
- Department of Experimental Medicine, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Viale del Policlinico 155, 00161, Rome, Italy
| | - A Lenzi
- Laboratory of Seminology‑Sperm Bank "Loredana Gandini", Department of Experimental Medicine, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Viale del Policlinico 155, 00161, Rome, Italy
| | - D Paoli
- Laboratory of Seminology‑Sperm Bank "Loredana Gandini", Department of Experimental Medicine, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Viale del Policlinico 155, 00161, Rome, Italy
| | - F Lombardo
- Laboratory of Seminology‑Sperm Bank "Loredana Gandini", Department of Experimental Medicine, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Viale del Policlinico 155, 00161, Rome, Italy.
| | - P Gargiulo
- Department of Experimental Medicine, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Viale del Policlinico 155, 00161, Rome, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Tarquini G, Zaina G, Ermacora P, De Amicis F, Franco-Orozco B, Loi N, Martini M, Bianchi GL, Pagliari L, Firrao G, de Paoli E, Musetti R. Agroinoculation of Grapevine Pinot Gris Virus in tobacco and grapevine provides insights on viral pathogenesis. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0214010. [PMID: 30889228 PMCID: PMC6424481 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0214010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2018] [Accepted: 03/05/2019] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
The Grapevine Pinot Gris disease (GPG-d) is a novel disease characterized by symptoms such as leaf mottling and deformation, which has been recently reported in grapevines, and mostly in Pinot gris. Plants show obvious symptoms at the beginning of the growing season, while during summer symptom recovery frequently occurs, manifesting as symptomless leaves. A new Trichovirus, named Grapevine Pinot gris virus (GPGV), which belongs to the family Betaflexiviridae was found in association with infected plants. The detection of the virus in asymptomatic grapevines raised doubts about disease aetiology. Therefore, the primary target of this work was to set up a reliable system for the study of the disease in controlled conditions, avoiding interfering factor(s) that could affect symptom development. To this end, two clones of the virus, pRI::GPGV-vir and pRI::GPGV-lat, were generated from total RNA collected from one symptomatic and one asymptomatic Pinot gris grapevine, respectively. The clones, which encompassed the entire genome of the virus, were used in Agrobacterium-mediated inoculation of Vitis vinifera and Nicotiana benthamiana plants. All inoculated plants developed symptoms regardless of their inoculum source, demonstrating a correlation between the presence of GPGV and symptomatic manifestations. Four months post inoculum, the grapevines inoculated with the pRI::GPGV-lat clone developed asymptomatic leaves that were still positive to GPGV detection. Three to four weeks later (i.e. ca. 5 months post inoculum), the same phenomenon was observed in the grapevines inoculated with pRI::GPGV-vir. This observation perfectly matches symptom progression in infected field-grown grapevines, suggesting a possible role for plant antiviral mechanisms, such as RNA silencing, in the recovery process.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Giulia Tarquini
- Department of Agriculture, Food, Environmental and Animal Sciences, University of Udine, Udine, Italy
| | - Giusi Zaina
- Department of Agriculture, Food, Environmental and Animal Sciences, University of Udine, Udine, Italy
| | - Paolo Ermacora
- Department of Agriculture, Food, Environmental and Animal Sciences, University of Udine, Udine, Italy
| | | | - Barbara Franco-Orozco
- Department of Agriculture, Food, Environmental and Animal Sciences, University of Udine, Udine, Italy
| | - Nazia Loi
- Department of Agriculture, Food, Environmental and Animal Sciences, University of Udine, Udine, Italy
| | - Marta Martini
- Department of Agriculture, Food, Environmental and Animal Sciences, University of Udine, Udine, Italy
| | | | - Laura Pagliari
- Department of Agriculture, Food, Environmental and Animal Sciences, University of Udine, Udine, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Firrao
- Department of Agriculture, Food, Environmental and Animal Sciences, University of Udine, Udine, Italy
| | - Emanuele de Paoli
- Department of Agriculture, Food, Environmental and Animal Sciences, University of Udine, Udine, Italy
| | - Rita Musetti
- Department of Agriculture, Food, Environmental and Animal Sciences, University of Udine, Udine, Italy
| |
Collapse
|