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Effects of tadalafil on sexual behavior of male rats induced by chronic unpredictable mild stress

Heng Wang, Xue Liu, Ziheng Zhang, Ziyang Han, Yong-Sheng Jiang, Yu-Ting Qiao, Tao Liu, Jianhuai Chen et al.

Sexual Medicine, 2023

12 citations

Abstract

Abstract Background Few studies have investigated psychogenic sexual dysfunction including psychogenic erectile dysfunction (pED); the effect of tadalafil on sexual behavior of male rats induced by chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) remains unclear. Aim The aim was to explore the influence of CUMS on sexual behavior of male rats and the effects of tadalafil on that. Methods Adult male rats were divided into 3 groups, including the normal group without CUMS, the model group with 6 weeks’ CUMS, and the tadalafil group with treatment of tadalafil during CUMS. CUMS consists of water deprivation, food deprivation, stroboscopic lightning, white noise, cage tilting, weeding packing, and housing 2 unfamiliar rats. The apomorphine test and vaginal smear test were conducted with the aim to screen out male rats with good erectile function and make preparation for the sexual behavior test, respectively. Outcomes At the end of the study period, the level of anhedonia and sexual function were evaluated by the sucrose preference test, sexual behavior test, and measurement of serum testosterone, dopamine, and 5-HT. Results Sucrose preference showed significant decrease in rats after CUMS. The intromission ratio and total intromission frequency decreased significantly, while the mount latency and ejaculation latency prolonged significantly in CUMS-induced rats when compared with normal rats. Meanwhile, the treatment of tadalafil reversed the level of anhedonia and sexual function in…

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