Herpes simplex virus vector-mediated delivery of neurturin rescues erectile dysfunction of cavernous nerve injury

Neurturin (NTN), a member of glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) family, is known as an important neurotrophic factor for penis-projecting neurons. We recently demonstrated significant protection from erectile dysfunction (ED) following a replication-defective herpes simplex virus (HSV) vector-mediated GDNF delivery to the injured cavernous nerve. Herein, we applied HSV vector-mediated delivery of NTN to this ED model. Rat cavernous nerve was injured bilaterally using a clamp and dry ice. For HSV-treated groups, 20 μl of vector stock was administered directly to the damaged nerve. Delivery of an HSV vector expressing both green fluorescent protein and lacZ (HSV-LacZ) was used as a control. Intracavernous pressure along with systemic arterial pressure (ICP/AP) was measured 2 and 4 weeks after the nerve injury. Fluorogold (FG) was injected into the penile crus 7 days before being killed to assess neuronal survival. Four weeks after nerve injury, rats treated with HSV-NTN exhibited significantly higher ICP/AP compared with untreated or control vector-treated groups. The HSV-NTN group had more FG-positive major pelvic ganglion neurons than the control group following injury. HSV vector-mediated delivery of NTN could be a viable approach for the improvement of ED following cavernous nerve injury.