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Candesartan cilexetil protects cavernous tissue in spontaneously hypertensive rats

International Journal of Impotence Research volume 16, pages 305–312 (2004)Cite this article

Abstract

In previous experiments, our group demonstrated morphological changes in erectile tissue from male spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). The present study was performed to determine whether an angiotensin II receptor blocker could protect cavernous tissue (CT) from these structural alterations in SHR. Male SHR and Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats were studied during 4 months. Rats were divided into three groups: SHR (n=10), SHR with candesartan cilexetil (n=10) and WKY rats (n=10). Candesartan cilexetil 7.5 mg/kg/day was administered orally throughout the study. CT was processed for pathology studies. The amount of (1) cavernous smooth muscle (CSM), (2) vascular smooth muscle (VSM), (3) collagen type III, and the rat endothelial cell antibody (RECA-1)/tunica media ratio in cavernous arteries were evaluated. SHR with candesartan cilexetil showed a lower blood pressure, a lower percentage of CSM, smaller VSM area, with a higher RECA-1/media ratio, and a lower percentage of collagen type III, when compared to untreated SHR. In addition, SHR showed a positive correlation between systolic blood pressure (SBP) and CSM amount (r=0.91; P<0.01), and SBP and the percentage of collagen type III (r=0.88; P<0.01); these correlations were not observed either in SHR treated with candesartan cilexetil or in WKY rats. We conclude that candesartan cilexetil provides a significant protective role against morphologic changes in vessels as well as in cavernous spaces of the erectile tissue, caused by high blood pressure, in SHR.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Dr Peter Morsing, who kindly provided us with candesartan cilexetil in the present study, and the valuable contribution of Ana Uceda and Mariana Feldman, who helped with the preparation of laboratory experiments, and Jaquelina Mastantuono, who thoroughly reviewed the style of this manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Experimental Medicine, Hospital Alemán, Buenos Aires, Argentina

    J E Toblli & O N Mazza

  2. Instituto de Investigaciones Cardiológicas (ININCA), Buenos Aires, Argentina

    I Stella, L Ferder & F Inserra

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  1. J E Toblli
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  2. I Stella
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  3. O N Mazza
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  4. L Ferder
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Correspondence to J E Toblli.

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Toblli, J., Stella, I., Mazza, O. et al. Candesartan cilexetil protects cavernous tissue in spontaneously hypertensive rats. Int J Impot Res 16, 305–312 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ijir.3901146

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