Tadalafil Treatment Improves Inflammation, Cognitive Function, And Mismatch Negativity Of Patients With Low Urinary Tract Symptoms And Erectile Dysfunction

Sci Rep. 2019 Nov 19;9(1):17119. doi: 10.1038/s41598-019-53136-y.

Abstract

Patients with Benign prostatic hyperplasia, low urinary tract symptoms, and erectile dysfunction (BPH/LUTS-ED) present chronic inflammation. We studied in patients with BPH/LUTS-ED the effect of tadalafil treatment (5 mg/day) on changes in peripheral inflammation, cognitive function, and the auditory evoked potential, "mismatch negativity" (MMN). Nine patients with BPH/LUTS-ED and 12 controls performed psychometric tests, MMN. IL-6, IL-17, IL-18, cGMP and CD4+CD28- autoreactive T-cells were measured in blood. Patients with BPH/LUTS-ED performed psychometric tests, MMN, and blood extraction at baseline and after tadalafil treatment. Patients with BPH/LUTS-ED showed increased CD4+CD28- autoreactive T-cells (p < 0.05), and higher levels of pro-inflammatory interleukins IL-6 (p < 0.001), IL-17 and IL-18 (p < 0.05), compared to controls. Patients got lower scores than controls in psychometric tests assessing mental processing speed and attention (p < 0.05), and showed lower amplitude (p < 0.01) and area (p < 0.05) of MMN wave than controls. Inflammatory, psychometric and electrophysiological parameters were normalized after tadalafil treatment. In conclusion, there is a pro-inflammatory environment in blood in patients with BPH/LUTS-ED which would induce cognitive impairment and alter MMN. Phosphodiesterase-5 inhibition with tadalafil exerts anti-inflammatory effects and ameliorates cognitive function and MMN parameters. Tadalafil could be a promising candidate for chronic treatment in other inflammatory pathologies associated with mild cognitive impairment.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Cognition / drug effects*
  • Erectile Dysfunction / drug therapy*
  • Erectile Dysfunction / pathology
  • Humans
  • Inflammation / prevention & control*
  • Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms / drug therapy*
  • Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms / pathology
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Phosphodiesterase 5 Inhibitors / therapeutic use*
  • Prostatic Hyperplasia / drug therapy*
  • Prostatic Hyperplasia / pathology
  • Tadalafil / therapeutic use*
  • Treatment Outcome

Substances

  • Phosphodiesterase 5 Inhibitors
  • Tadalafil