Journal: International Journal of Biological Sciences
Article Title: N-Homocysteinylation of HMGB1/2 Promotes Corpus Cavernosum Endothelial Senescence in Erectile Dysfunction
doi: 10.7150/ijbs.119514
Figure Lengend Snippet: HHcy induces ED in middle-aged rats via accelerated endothelial senescence. A. Representative laser speckle contrast imaging of sodium nitroprusside (NO donor)-induced rat penile blood flow across four experimental groups (n=3): Young (control), Young+HHcy, Mid-old (natural aging), and Mid-old+HHcy. Color gradients (blue-to-red) indicate relative perfusion levels in anatomical subregions: corpus cavernosum (CC, erectile tissue), penile body (PB), and glans penis (GP). B. Representative curves of electrostimulation-induced intracavernosal pressure dynamics and hemodynamic quantification (n=5 per each group). AP: arterial pressure; ICP: intracavernosal pressure; MAP: mean arterial pressure; Total ICP: area under the ICP curve. C. Representative images and semi-quantification of Masson's trichrome-stained rat corpus cavernosum sections (n=4). Scale bars: 50 μm. D. Representative images and semi-quantification of SA-β-gal activity in rat corpus cavernosum sections (n=4). Scale bars: 50 μm. E-F. Representative immunofluorescence co-staining images and semi-quantification in different groups: E. Laminb1 (green) and Lectin (endothelium, red). F. p21 (green) and Lectin. G. UMAP projection plot of the combined single-cell transcriptomes across all experimental groups. FB (Fibroblast), EC (Endothelial cell), SMC (Smooth muscle cell). H. Stacked bar plots of single-cell composition across experimental groups. I. Pseudotemporal trajectory analysis of senescence-associated genes Cdkn1a , H2ax , and Il6 in EC subpopulations. Solid lines represent HHcy-accelerated aging, dashed lines denote natural aging. J. Violin plots of senescence-associated gene expression in EC subpopulations across groups. K. EC state transition dynamics revealed by Monocle2 pseudotime analysis. Left: Pseudotemporal trajectory of ECs showing bifurcation at Branch Point 1 (senescence initiation). Red arrows indicate HHcy-accelerated transitions from pre-aging (State 1) to senescence state (State 3). Right: Pie charts quantify the proportion of ECs in three pseudotime-defined states.
Article Snippet: Primary rat corpus cavernosum endothelial cells (CCECs) were isolated from 6-week-old male Sprague-Dawley rats using enzymatic digestion combined with mechanical extrusion, as previously optimized .
Techniques: Imaging, Control, Staining, Activity Assay, Immunofluorescence, Gene Expression