Fig. 3: LPHN2 expression is increased in penile tissue of diabetic mouse model, and intracavernous administration of LRG1 ameliorates diabetic erectile dysfunction. | Experimental & Molecular Medicine

Fig. 3: LPHN2 expression is increased in penile tissue of diabetic mouse model, and intracavernous administration of LRG1 ameliorates diabetic erectile dysfunction.

From: Latrophilin-2 is a novel receptor of LRG1 that rescues vascular and neurological abnormalities and restores diabetic erectile function

Fig. 3

a Penile tissue from normal mice was cross-sectioned for immunofluorescence staining. Representative LPHN2 (red), PECAM-1 (green, top left) and βIII-Tubulin (green, top right) staining. Nuclei were stained with DAPI (blue). Scale bars, 200 µm. Higher magnification images of the corpus cavernosum (CC; scale bars, 100 µm), cavernous artery (CA; scale bars, 25 µm), dorsal vein (DV; scale bars, 50 µm), dorsal artery (DA; scale bars, 25 µm) and dorsal nerve bundles (DNB; scale bars, 25 µm) (bottom). b Representative Western blots showing LPHN2 and LRG1 in mouse cavernous tissue from control and STZ-induced diabetic mice (top). Normalized band intensity values were quantified by ImageJ and are presented as the means ± SEM (n = 4). c and d LPHN2 and LRG1 expression in CC (c) and DNB (d) tissue from control and STZ-induced diabetic mice (DM). Immunostaining for LPHN2 (red, left), LRG1 (red, middle) with PECAM-1 (c, green) or βIII-Tubulin (d, green). Scale bars, 100 μm. Immunopositive areas of LPHN2 and LRG1 in mouse CC (c) and DNB (d) were quantified using ImageJ and are presented as the means ± SEM (n = 6, right). e LPHN2 and LRG1 expression in human CC tissue from control and diabetic patients with erectile dysfunction (DM-ED). Immunostaining for LPHN2 (left, red) and LRG1 (middle, red). Nuclei were stained with DAPI (blue). Scale bars, 100 μm. Quantification of LPHN2- and LRG1-immunopositive areas in human CC using ImageJ (means ± SEM (n = 6, right). f Representative intracavernous pressure (ICP) responses in control and STZ-induced diabetic mice at 2 weeks after repeated intracavernous injections of Fc (negative control, 5 µg/20 µl), LRG1-Fc (5 µg/20 µl), or LRG1-Fc (5 µg/20 µl) + anti-TGF-β1 antibodies (10 μg/ml) on Days 0 and 3 with scramble shRNA control (shCon) or LPHN2 knockdown shRNA (shLPHN2) conditions (5 × 105 TU/mouse). The cavernous nerve was stimulated with 5 V. The stimulus interval is indicated by a solid bar. The ratios of mean maximal ICP (f, middle) and total ICP (f, right) (area under the curve) to mean systolic blood pressure (MSBP) were calculated for each group (n = 5). *P < 0.05; **P < 0.01; ***P < 0.001 (Student’s t test). N.S., not significant. The relative ratio of the control group was defined as 1.

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