Patients with end-stage erectile dysfunction (ED) who fail to respond to phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors lack well-defined molecular targets for new pharmacologic therapies. To identify common expression patterns of key biomarkers in corpora cavernosa tissue from men undergoing penile prosthesis placement, thereby informing future drug development for treatment-resistant ED.
Formalin-fixed corpora cavernosa specimens were collected intraoperatively from 14 men receiving penile prostheses for ED. Sections were immunohistochemically stained for Rho-associated protein kinase (ROCK1/ROCK2), CD31 (endothelial marker), smooth muscle actin (SMA), and lysyl oxidase (LOX1). Staining intensity was graded under light microscopy on a 0 to +4 scale: 0 (negative), +1 (weak/mild), +2 (moderate), +3 (strong), and +4 (intense). Baseline demographics and comorbidities were recorded.
Older age, longer ED duration, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and coronary artery disease were associated with higher ROCK1/2 expression. SMA staining was elevated in hypertensive patients and those with prolonged ED. Both current and former smokers showed increased CD31 expression, while LOX1 levels were highest in subjects with coronary artery disease. Across all samples, mean scores for ROCK1/2 and SMA exceeded those for CD31 and LOX1.
This preliminary analysis reveals differential expression of four biomarkers in treatment-resistant ED associated with specific comorbidities. ROCK1/2- and SMA-driven pathways may represent promising targets for new ED therapies.
Translational andrology and urology. 2025 Nov 27 [Epub]
Kunj Jain, Marvin A Simpkins, Meher Pandher, Aleksander Popovic, Evan Kovac, Lawrence Wyner, Robert E Weiss, Amjad Alwaal
Division of Urology, Department of Surgery, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, Newark, NJ, USA., Department of Urology, Marshall University School of Medicine, Huntington, WV, USA.