Kim Soyeun, Cho Min Chul, Cho Sung Yong, Chung Hong, Rajasekaran Mahadevan Raj
Department of Family Medicine, Korea Cancer Center Hospital, Seoul, Korea.
Department of Urology, SMG-SNU Boramae Medical Center, Seoul, Korea.
World J Mens Health. 2021 Jan;39(1):48-64. doi: 10.5534/wjmh.200007. Epub 2020 Mar 16.
Currently, several treatments exist for the improvement of erectile dysfunction (ED). These include medical therapies such as phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors (PDE5-Is), invasive methods such as intracavernosal injection therapy of vaso-active substances, vacuum erection devices, and penile prosthesis implants. However, the percentage of patients that are unresponsive to available treatments and who drop out from treatments remains high. Current evidence reveals that the pathogenesis of ED is related to multiple factors including underlying comorbidities, previous surgery, and psychological factors. Diverse approaches using novel molecular pathways or new technologies have been tested as potential therapeutic options for difficultto-treat ED populations. Melanocortin receptor agonist, a centrally acting agent, showed promising results by initiating erection without sexual stimulation in non-responders to PDE5-Is. Recent clinical and pre-clinical studies using human tissues suggested that new peripherally acting agents including the Max-K channel activator, guanylate cyclase activator, and nitric oxide donor could be potential therapies either as a monotherapy or in combination with PDE5-Is in ED patients. According to several clinical trials, regeneration therapy using stem cells showed favorable data in men with diabetic or post-prostatectomy ED. Low-intensity shock wave therapy also demonstrated promising results in patients with vasculogenic ED. There are growing evidences which suggest the efficacy of these emerging therapies, though most of the therapies still need to be validated by well-designed clinical trials. It is expected that, should their long-term safety and efficacy be proven, the emerging treatments can meet the needs of patients hitherto unresponsive to or unsatisfied by current therapies for ED.
目前,有几种治疗方法可用于改善勃起功能障碍(ED)。这些方法包括药物治疗,如5型磷酸二酯酶抑制剂(PDE5-Is);侵入性方法,如海绵体内注射血管活性物质;真空勃起装置和阴茎假体植入。然而,对现有治疗无反应以及退出治疗的患者比例仍然很高。目前的证据表明,ED的发病机制与多种因素有关,包括潜在的合并症、既往手术和心理因素。使用新的分子途径或新技术的多种方法已被测试作为难治性ED人群的潜在治疗选择。黑皮质素受体激动剂是一种中枢作用药物,在对PDE5-Is无反应的患者中,通过在无性刺激的情况下引发勃起显示出有前景的结果。最近使用人体组织的临床和临床前研究表明,包括Max-K通道激活剂、鸟苷酸环化酶激活剂和一氧化氮供体在内的新型外周作用药物,无论是作为单一疗法还是与PDE5-Is联合使用,都可能是ED患者的潜在治疗方法。根据多项临床试验,使用干细胞的再生疗法在患有糖尿病或前列腺切除术后ED的男性中显示出良好的数据。低强度冲击波疗法在血管性ED患者中也显示出有前景的结果。越来越多的证据表明这些新兴疗法的有效性,尽管大多数疗法仍需要通过精心设计的临床试验来验证。预计,如果这些疗法的长期安全性和有效性得到证实,新兴治疗方法可以满足目前对ED治疗无反应或不满意的患者的需求。