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Immunophilin ligand FK506 is neuroprotective for penile innervation

Nature Medicine volume 7, pages 1073–1074 (2001)Cite this article

To the editor

Erectile dysfunction following radical prostatectomy is common even with presumably intact cavernous nerves, the principal autonomic innervation of the penis1. The immunosuppressant drugs FK506 and cyclosporin A act through their respective binding proteins FKBP12 and cyclophilin, collectively termed immunophilins2. Immunophilin ligands also exert neurotrophic and neuroprotective effects3. We show here that FK506 treatment of rats protects penile innervation from degeneration following nerve-crush injury, and preserves erectile function.

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Figure 1: Effects of FK506 treatment on intracavernosal pressure (ICP) response and nerve morphology after CN injury.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Urology, James Buchanan Brady Urological Institute, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Baltimore, Maryland, USA

    Sena F. Sezen & Arthur L. Burnett

  2. Department of Neurology, James Buchanan Brady Urological Institute, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Baltimore, Maryland, USA

    Ahmet Hoke

  3. Department of Neuroscience, Pharmacology and Molecular Sciences, and Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, James Buchanan Brady Urological Institute, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Baltimore, Maryland, USA

    Solomon H. Snyder

Authors
  1. Sena F. Sezen
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  2. Ahmet Hoke
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  3. Arthur L. Burnett
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  4. Solomon H. Snyder
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Sezen, S., Hoke, A., Burnett, A. et al. Immunophilin ligand FK506 is neuroprotective for penile innervation. Nat Med 7, 1073–1074 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1038/nm1001-1073

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