Abstract Introduction Diabetes mellitus (DM) is recognized as one of the major etiological factors of erectile dysfunction (ED), with over 50% of patients with long-standing DM eventually developing ED, with complex pathophysiology involving neuropathy, endothelial dysfunction, decreased penile cavernous smooth muscle content, and tissue fibrosis. Objective To evaluate the therapeutic effects of rotating magnetic field (RMF) intervention on streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic corpus cavernosum injury in rats and elucidate its underlying mechanisms. Methods DM was induced by intraperitoneal streptozotocin injection. All rats were categorized into three groups: Blank group (n=6), DMED group (n=6), and DM+RMF intervention (MF group) group (n=6). The MF group received daily RMF exposure for 4 weeks. Histopathological analysis (HE and Masson's trichrome staining), and Western Blot were used to evaluate cavernosum fibrosis and structural changes. Inflammatory factors (IL-10, TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6) and MDA level were measured in plasma and tissue homogenates using ELISA and biochemical assays. Results RMF intervention significantly ameliorated the corpus cavernosum injury in DMED rats. Histological analysis showed reduced collagen deposition, increased corporal smooth muscle content, and improved tissue structure in the MF group. ELISA and biochemical assays revealed that pro-inflammatory factors (TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6) and the MDA level were decreased, while the anti-inflammatory factor IL-10 was elevated. Western blot results demonstrated a downregulation of fibrosis-related signaling proteins, including TGF-β, Smad2, and the Smad2/3 complex. Conclusions RMF intervention ameliorates inflammation and fibrosis of the penile cavernous body in diabetic rats, accompanied by smooth muscle recovery and inhibition of the TGF-β/Smad signalling pathway. These findings suggest RMF has potential for histological and molecular improvement of diabetic cavernous body injury, providing a basis for subsequent functional studies. Disclosure No
Yang et al. (Mon,) studied this question.