| Objective:To investigate the morphological characteristics of regenerative nerve and depict the reestablished erectile efferent pathway after genital branch of genitofemoral nerve to cavernous nerve transfer.Methods:Thirty adult male Sprague-Dawley rats (250-300g) were randomly divided into three groups (n=10, per group). Rats in sham group underwent sham operation; rats in nerve resection (NR) group underwent bilateral genital branch of genitofemoral nerve (GN) and cavernous nerve (CN) resection, and the cut ends of genital branch and cavernous nerve were respectively ligated to prevent nerve regeneration; and rats in nerve transfer (NT) group performed nerve anastomosis bilaterally between proximal stump of GN and distal stump of CN after nerve resection. Twelve weeks postoperatively, retrograde tracing was performed in each rat via injection of Fluorogold (FG) solution into the right penile crus. Then, the distal segments of the cavernous nerve in each group were collected for axon counting and ultrastucture observation to evaluate the nerve regeneration, and the nerve segments at the anastomosis were cut into longitudinal sections and stained with hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) to demonstrate the nerve continuity after anastomosis.Results:Retrograde tracing showed that FG-labeled neurons were hardly seen in the sections of major pelvic ganglions in NR group and NT group, with the average number of6.3±3.4and5.4±2.9, respectively, which was significantly less than that in the sham group (106.7±15.9). In the sections of spinal cord segments T13-L2, L6-S1, FG-labeled neurons were not found in the sham group and the NR group, but they were present in the ventral horn of L1and L2in NT group, with the average number of2.7±1.0and5.3±1.2respectively. Morphological examination revealed that rich, blue-stained myelinated axons were observed and counted in CNs of the sham group and the the regenerative nerves of NT group. The mean number of the myelinated axons in the sham group and the NT group were346.8±17.66and621.87±81.25respectively, which was markedly higher than that in the distal segments of CNs in NR group (16.68±6.08)(P<0.05). In addition, ultrastructure observation showed that a large number of myelinated nerve fibers and unmyelinated nerve fibers were seen in the sham group and NT group, while vacuolar degeneration of myelin sheaths, disorder hyperplasia of collagenous fibers were found in the NR group. H&E staining of the nerve segments at the anastomosis site indiated that the proximal fibers could regenerate across the anastomosis site into the recipient fibers.Conclusions:These results suggested that nerve regeneration could be obtained, and the new erectile efferent pathway might be reconstructed after genital branch of genitofemoral nerve to cavernous nerve transfer in the rat. Objective:To evaluate the feasibility of erectile functional restoration by applying neurophysiological techniques and behavioral studies after genital branch of genitofemoral nerve to cavernous nerve transfer in rats.Methods:Thirty adult male Sprague-Dawley rats (250-300g) were randomly divided into three groups (n=10, per group). Rats in sham group underwent sham operation; rats in nerve resection (NR) group underwent bilateral genital branch of genitofemoral nerve (GN) and cavernous nerve (CN) resection, and the cut ends of genital branch and cavernous nerve were respectively ligated to prevent nerve regeneration; and rats in nerve transfer (NT) group performed nerve anastomosis bilaterally between proximal stump of GN and distal stump of CN after nerve resection. All the rats in each group underwent mating test at the4,8and12weeks postoperatively, the copulatory behaviors were observed and recorded. Then, one week after FG injection, the intracavernous pressure (ICP) monitoring were performed in all the rats. The ICP changes and the blood pressure were monitoring and recorded simultaneously when electrostimulating the corresponding nerves.Results:12weeks postoperatively,8rats in the sham group and7rat in the NT group were observed intromission behaviors, but only one rat in NR group were observed intromission behaviors, which was much less than that in the sham group and the NT group (P<0.05). Electrostimulating the GN of the NT group resulted in a significant increase in ICP, the mean ICP increases (△ICP) was32.81±10.8mmHg, achieved approximately53%of the mean value (62.11±7.67mmHg) in the sham group. However, electrostimulating the proximal stump of the resected CN in NR group showed no obvious response, with an average△ICP of5.41±2.02mmHg, which was significantly lower than that in the sham group and NT group (P<0.05). Additionally, the mean ratio of AICP to MAP (△ICP/MAP) in the sham group, the NR group and the NT group were0.63±0.08,0.05±0.02and 032±0.10respectively. The AICP/MAP in the sham group and the NT group were significantly higher than that in the NR group (P<0.05).Conclusions:Erectile function could be partially restored by genital branch of genitofemoral nerve to cavernous nerve transfer in rats. Objective:To observe NOS expression and morphological changes of corpus cavernosum after genital branch of genitofemoral nerve to cavernous nerve transfer in the rat.Methods:Thirty adult male Sprague-Dawley rats (250-300g) were randomly divided into three groups (n=10, per group). Rats in sham group underwent sham operation; rats in nerve resection (NR) group underwent bilateral genital branch of genitofemoral nerve (GN) and cavernous nerve (CN) resection, and the cut ends of genital branch and cavernous nerve were respectively ligated to prevent nerve regeneration; and rats in nerve transfer (NT) group performed nerve anastomosis bilaterally between proximal stump of GN and distal stump of CN after nerve resection.12weeks postoperatively, after functional assessment, the fresh penile shafts of all the rats were harvested and dissected into two segments. One of the segments was processed for NADPH diaphorase staining, and the number of blue stained fibers in each side of dorasal penile nerves (DPN) was counted under light microscopy. The other segement was processed for masson trichrome staining protocol to investigate the morphological changes of corpus cavernousum in each group.Results:12weeks postoperatively, a large number of NOS positive nerve fibers were observed in each side of DPN in the NT group, and the mean number was58.67±13.3, which was significantly higer than that in the NR group(15.53±7.0)(P<0.05), but lower than that in the sham group(128.02±18.1)(P＜0.05). For masson trichrome staining of penis, smooth muscle cells were stained in red and collegens were stained in blue. The smooth muscle-to-collagen ratio in corpus cavernosum in the sham group, NR group and NT group were0.106±0.015,0.048±0.008and0.086±0.013, respectively, and the ratio in the sham group and the NT group was significantly higher than that in the NR group (P<0.05).Conclusions:The NOS expression was positive, the corpus cavernosum was reinnervated, and cavernosal fibrosis was prevented after genital branch of genitofemoral nerve to cavernous nerve transfer in the rat,... |
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