Miyata Yasuyoshi, Matsuo Tomohiro, Nakamura Yuichiro, Mitsunari Kensuke, Ohba Kojiro, Sakai Hideki
Department of Urology, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki University, Nagasaki 852-8501, Japan.
Biomedicines. 2021 Nov 10;9(11):1658. doi: 10.3390/biomedicines9111658.
Erectile function is regulated by complex mechanisms centered on vascular- and nerve-related systems. Hence, dysregulation of these systems leads to erectile dysfunction (ED), which causes mental distress and decreases the quality of life of patients and their partners. At the molecular level, many factors, such as fibrosis, lipid metabolism abnormalities, the immune system, and stem cells, play crucial roles in the etiology and development of ED. Although phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE5) inhibitors are currently the standard treatment agents for patients with ED, they are effective only in a subgroup of patients. Therefore, further insight into the pathological mechanism underlying ED is needed to discuss ED treatment strategies. In this review, we focused on the biological and pathological significance of macrophages in ED because the interaction of macrophages with ED-related mechanisms have not been well explored, despite their important roles in vasculogenic and neurogenic diseases. Furthermore, we examined the pathological significance of macrophages in Peyronie's disease (PD), a cause of ED characterized by penile deformation (visible curvature) during erection and pain. Although microinjury and the subsequent abnormal healing process of the tunica albuginea are known to be important processes in this disease, the detailed etiology and pathophysiology of PD are not fully understood. This is the first review on the pathological role of macrophages in PD.
勃起功能受以血管和神经相关系统为核心的复杂机制调控。因此，这些系统的失调会导致勃起功能障碍（ED），进而引起精神困扰，并降低患者及其伴侣的生活质量。在分子水平上，许多因素，如纤维化、脂质代谢异常、免疫系统和干细胞，在ED的病因和发展中起着关键作用。尽管5型磷酸二酯酶（PDE5）抑制剂目前是ED患者的标准治疗药物，但它们仅对部分患者有效。因此，需要进一步深入了解ED的病理机制，以探讨ED的治疗策略。在本综述中，我们聚焦于巨噬细胞在ED中的生物学和病理学意义，因为尽管巨噬细胞在血管源性和神经源性疾病中发挥着重要作用，但其与ED相关机制的相互作用尚未得到充分研究。此外，我们研究了巨噬细胞在佩罗尼氏病（PD）中的病理学意义，PD是一种导致ED的疾病，其特征为勃起时阴茎变形（可见弯曲）和疼痛。虽然白膜的微损伤及随后的异常愈合过程是该疾病的重要过程，但PD的详细病因和病理生理学尚未完全明确。这是关于巨噬细胞在PD中病理作用的首篇综述。
