Sexual Function/Dysfunction/Andrology: Basic Research (II)Moderated Poster Session 391024 EXERCISE AS A RADIOPROTECTOR OF ERECTILE FUNCTION AFTER PROSTATE RADIOTHERAPY
Section snippets
INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES
Radiation causes normal tissue injury through hypoxia, oxidative stress, and vascular damage. Exercise is known to increase nitric oxide (NO) production and systemic vasodilation, improve tissue oxygenation, and increase free radical scavenging. Epidemiological studies suggest exercise may reduce likelihood of erectile dysfunction. Therefore we performed a four arm preclinical study evaluating the ability of exercise to prevent radiation-induced ED.
METHODS
60 young adult male Sprague Dawley rats were divided into 1) control, 2) 14 Gy prostate irradiation, 3) exercise (1 hour per day 5 days per week on motorized running wheel at 6 m/min), or 4) RT + exercise, with exercise initiated 1 week prior to RT. Erectile function was quantified by intracavernosal pressure measurement 9 weeks after radiation. Plasma taken at sacrifice was evaluated for nitrite levels as a marker of NO. Penile shaft and cavernous nerve tissue were evaluated for evidence of
RESULTS
Irradiated animals had significantly worse erectile function than control and exercise groups (p<0.01). There was a trend for improved ICP/MAP ratio for Exercise+RT compared to RT animals with partial cohorts (p=0.35). More RT animals had ED than Exercise+RT (Table, p<0.001). No difference in resting nitrite levels was observed. Histologic correlates are pending.
CONCLUSIONS
Exercise may exhibit partial radioprotection for erectile function after prostate radiotherapy.
C control, EX exercise (6m/min × 1 hr, 5 days per week for 10 wks), RT 14 Gy single dose prostate radiotherapy. ICP/MAP intracavernosal pressure/mean arterial pressureEmpty Cell C EX RT EX+RT p Mean ICP/MAP Ratio 0.737 0.753 0.444 0.534 0.001 Animals with ED 0% 0% 50% 38% 0.02
References (0)
Cited by (0)
Source of Funding: RTOG CCOP Seed Grant