| Summary: | 博士 === 長庚大學 === 臨床醫學研究所 === 99 === As men age the prostate enlarges which compresses the urethra making it difficult to urinate. Partial bladder outlet obstruction (PBOO) occurring due to benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH) in men interferes with the ability of the bladder to empty its contents. Various animal models of PBOO, in which the urethra is partially legated, have been developed and showed changes in morphology and function similar to that in humans. Oxidative damage in bladder tissue has been detected in animals with PBOO. Our results revealed that oxidative stress could be detected in the plasma and urine of PBOO-treated rabbits for 4 and 8 weeks, not only from bladder tissue as previously reported. The significance of these findings showed that there could be an easy and alternative way to evaluate rabbit bladder function by the analysis of urine and / or plasma. Besides, epidemiological studies have provided clear evidence that lower urinary tract syndrome (LUTS) and erectile dysfunction (ED) are strongly linked with obstructive LUTS being a better predictor of ED than irritative LUTS. At this time, we do not yet have a clear understanding of the relationship between LUTS and ED and the related pathophysiological mechanisms. Using the RT-PCR and Western blot analysis, a progressive increase of TGF-β1 in the penis was found at 2, 4 and 8 weeks after obstruction. Based on our results, an increase in TGF-β1 and elevated systemic oxidative stress may play key roles to contribute to penile dysfunction after chronic PBOO. Furthermore, following our first study involving rabbits with chronic PBOO showing an increase in systemic oxidative stress, we found that the reversal of PBOO resulted in a progressive reduction in the levels of biomarkers of systemic oxidative stress. This finding further suggests that the reverse of PBOO will attenuate systemic oxidative stress.
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