Couplet medicines of leech and centipede granules improve erectile dysfunction via inactivation of the CaSR/PLC/PKC signaling in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats
Basic science / preclinical published in Biosci Rep (2020)
Abstract
Erectile dysfunction (ED) is one of the significant complications of diabetes mellitus (DM), and CASR plays an important role in cellular antiapoptosis and NO production in the vascular endothelium by activating PKC. The present study was aimed to investigate the efficacy of Leech and Centipede Granules (LCG) through the CaSR/PLC/PKC signaling. Fifty male Sprague-Dawley rats were treated with streptozotocin to induce the DM model. After 10 weeks, an apomorphine test was used to confirm DMED. Rats with DMED were administrated with LCG and U73122 for 4 weeks. Fasting blood glucose, body weight, insulin and glucagon levels were measured. Erectile function in rats was assessed by apomorphine. Serums were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and flow cytometry, and penile tissues were harvested for histologic and the expression of related targets analyses. After treatment, fasting blood glucose, body weight, insulin, glucagon levels, and erectile function were significantly ameliorated in the LCG groups. The LOX-1, NOX, and EMPs concentrations were significantly decreased with LCG treatment. LCG also continuously increased NO and decreased ET-1 content in penile tissues. LCG and U73122 administration also improved penile fibrosis by significantly decreasing VCAM-1, ICAM-1, and CD62P. The data also showed that LCG reduced the apoptosis level in the penis. Furthermore, the inhibited activation of the CaSR/PLC/PKC pathway was observed in DMED rats with LCG treatment. Collectively, LCG significantly ameliorated erectile function of DMED rats via increased NO generation, inhibiting endothelial cells apoptosis and penile fibrosis, which might benefit from the suppression of CaSR/PLC/PKC pathway in DMED rats.
Abstract sourced from PubMed (NCBI) for the cited record. See the original publication for the authoritative version.
Summary
TCM 'couplet medicine' of leech + centipede granules improves erectile dysfunction in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats by inactivating CaSR/PLC/PKC signaling pathway. Validates traditional Chinese medicine formulation.
Why This Matters for Hirudotherapy
This preclinical study tested a traditional Chinese 'couplet medicine,' Leech and Centipede Granules (LCG), in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats with confirmed erectile dysfunction; after four weeks LCG improved fasting glucose, body weight, insulin/glucagon levels, and apomorphine-assessed erectile function, raised penile NO while lowering ET-1, reduced endothelial markers (LOX-1, NOX, VCAM-1, ICAM-1, CD62P) and apoptosis, and was associated with suppressed CaSR/PLC/PKC signaling. Its relevance to hirudotherapy is partial and indirect: leech is only one of two components of a combined herbal/animal formulation given orally, so any benefit cannot be attributed to the leech material specifically, and oral granules are mechanistically distinct from clinical leech application. The key caveat is that this is an animal model only — the results are hypothesis-generating about a multi-component formula's vascular/signaling effects and do not constitute evidence for leech therapy in human erectile dysfunction.
Citation
Couplet medicines of leech and centipede granules improve erectile dysfunction via inactivation of the CaSR/PLC/PKC signaling in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats.
Ma JX et al. · Bioscience reports, 2020
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