Analyses on the penile erectile system as the micro-vasculature

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 21K06822
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 48040:Medical biochemistry-related
• Research Institution: Wakayama Medical University
• Principal Investigator: Yamada Gen 和歌山県立医科大学, 医学部, 特別研究員 (80174712)
• Project Period (FY): 2021-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: 陰茎 / 海綿体 / 勃起 / ED / 血管 / 持続勃起 / 可視化 / リンパ管

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The applicant established a culture system to elucidate the function and pathology of the vascular sinusoids of the corpus cavernosum, and analyzed its contraction/relaxation (Front Cell Dev Bio 2022). Furthermore, we established a system to analyze the inflow/outflow of blood in the lumen during the contraction/relaxation process of the corpus cavernosum, and visualized the process of blood drainage from the vascular sinus (RMB 2024). We found the mice with priapism (RMB 2022) and the above visualization showed that abnormal blood drainage as the cause of persistent erection.
We also reported the vascular sinus expresses the lymphatic marker Lyve1. It is known that erections are caused by lymphatic fluids in birds. The findings are interesting from the perspective of erectile control by body fluids. In addition, in penile cancer, metastasis to the perineal lymph nodes is important for prognosis. Thus it is important to further analyze the significance of lymphatic marker expression.

Free Research Field

生殖医学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

海綿体は、微細な洞様血管(シヌソイド)を含み、血液の充満により弛緩/収縮を行い勃起・非勃起状態に対応した種々のストレス及び損傷を受けると推察されるが、その詳細は未解明である。海綿体は、加齢や糖尿病等によって内皮、平滑筋、血管周辺細胞等が障害され、その疾患の勃起機能障害(ED)は、高齢化した日本に高頻度である。海綿体の恒常性維持、再生機構の解明は、男性ホルモンによる内分泌学、血管内皮・平滑筋等の組織形成、加齢―男性医学等の医科学的視点で重要である。今回の海綿体微細血管系に対する解析結果は、申請者による独自な解析系によるものであり今後の海綿体疾患解明に大きく寄与すると期待される。