脊髓胃泌素释放肽系统调控雄性性功能的研究进展

Spinal gastrin-releasing peptide system mediates sexual function of males: Advances in studies

雄性大鼠上腰段(L3～L4)脊髓神经元投射到下腰段(L5～L6)脊髓时,释放胃泌素释放肽(GRP)至调节雄性性反射的神经元胞体或自主中枢,与GRP受体(GRPR)结合,进而发挥特定的功能。脊髓GRP系统受雄激素调节,大量研究表明,GRP在大鼠勃起及射精过程中发挥着重要作用,当给予GRPR激动剂治疗时,可恢复去势雄性大鼠的勃起及射精功能。因而,GRP系统可能成为勃起功能障碍或射精功能障碍的潜在治疗靶点。本文就脊髓GRP系统在调控雄性性功能方面的研究作一综述。

A collection of neurons in the upper lumbar spinal cord （lumbar segments 3 and 4） of male rats project to the lower lumbar spinal cord （lumbar segments 5 and 6） and release a gastrin-releasing peptide （GRP） to the somatic and autonomic regions, which are known to regulate male sexual reflexes. The GRP plays some special functions when bound to the specific GRP receptor （GRPR）. The spinal GRP system is regulated by androgens. Accumulating evidence shows that GRP plays an important role in rat penile erection and ejaculation, and pharmacological stimulation of GRPRs with a specific agonist can restore penile reflexes and ejaculation in castrated male rats. Therefore, the GRP system appears to be a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of erectile dysfunction or ejaculatory dysfunction. The present paper briefly reviews the recent studies on the role of the spinal GRP system in regulating the sexual function of males.