Determination of serum testosterone in experimental diabetes with erectile dysfunction

To study the mechanisms of erectile dysfunction (ED) in ex-perimental diabetic (DM) rats, streptozotocin (STZ) was injectedintraperitoneally into Sprague-Dewley rats to make experimentalmodels of DM. Rats showing apparent ED after apomorphine injec-tion were selected for the experiment. Penile erections were studiedon the 6th, 8th and 12th week after injection of apomorphine. Theconcentration of LH, FSH and testosterone (T) were examined andmicrostructure of testes were observed. Results indicated that theserum T was decreased significantly with marked changes in testicu-lar histology; the degree of both was closely related to the durationof DM. The concentration of LH did not change on the early days,but decreased significantly later in the course. FSH concentrationswere not changed. As conclusions, penile erection and synthesis oftestosterone are affected seriously by DM, and the decrease of Tconcentration may be one of the most important mechanisms.(Chin J Androl 2000; 4: 227 - 230)