Expression and effects of miR-137 in patients with erectile dysfunction

Objective: We analyzed the expression of microRNA (miR)-137 in elderly patients with erectile dysfunction (ED) and young healthy volunteers. Methods: The morphology and blood flow of the penile corpus cavernosum of all patients were analyzed via angiography. The miR-137 expression was detected by real-time fluorescent RT-PCR in stem cell samples taken from peripheral blood. Western blot was used to detect the expression of CDK16, the target protein of miR-137. Results: miR-137 expression was significantly higher in elderly ED patients than in young healthy volunteers, and were negatively correlated with IIEF-5 scores. CDK16 protein expression was lower in prostate secretion samples of ED patients than in healthy controls. The average rate of penile blood flow was 98.83 ± 1.32 mL/min in healthy volunteers and 31.28 ± 1.75 mL/min in elderly ED patients. There were significant differences in clinical signs between these groups. Conclusion: There was a close correlation between the degree of ED and miR-137 expression, which may inhibit the physiological expression of CDK16.