Korean Journal of Andrology  2001;19(1):35-39

Collagen Changes of the Corpus Cavernosum in Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetic Rats and the Effects of Insulin and Aminoguanidine.

Kun Suk KIM 1 ; Jun Hyuk HONG ; Tai Young AHN

Affiliations

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Keywords

Collagen; Diabetes mellitus; Aminoguanidine; Corpus cavernosum

Country

Republic of Korea

Language

Korean

Abstract

PURPOSE: Diabetes changes the properties of collagen in our body tissue, increasing cross-linked collagen via nonenzymatic glycosylation and accumulation of advanced glycosylation end products. Glucose-derived cross-linked collagen formation may contribute to the development of chronic diabetic complications such as decreasing the compliance of tissue. Aminoguanidine, a hydrazine compound, prevent formation of glucose-derived collagen cross-linking. We studied the change of the properties of collagen in the corpus cavernosum by diabetes and the effects of insulin and aminoguanidine. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Diabetes was induced in male Sprague-Dawley rat and maintained for 12 weeks. Rats were divided into four groups: 1) control, 2) diabetics, 3) diabetics treated with insulin, 4) diabetics treated with aminoguanidine. Concentration of collagen in cavernosal tissue was measured by hydroxyproline content and expressed as hydroxyproline (micro gram) / dried defatted tissue (mg). The characteristic autofluorescence of glycosylated connective tissues of penile tissue was used to quantitate advanced glycosylation end products. RESULTS: The content of collagen in cavernosal tissue was not significantly different among experimental groups. Cross-linked collagen expressed as fluorescence (U/micro gram hydroxyproline) was increased in diabetic group (61.6+/-5.1) compared to control group (24.1+/-3.2) and it was decreased in both insulin-treated group (36.9+/-7.4) and aminoguanidine-treated group (37.9+/-5.8) compared to diabetic group. CONCLUSIONS: Our studies revealed that the properties of collagen in corpus cavernosum was changed by diabetes and that aminoguanidine as well as insulin prevented the diabetes-induced crossed linked collagen formation.