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Summary of Tadalafil Treatment Improves Inflammation

How Tadalafil Can Reduce Inflammation, Enhance Cognition, and Boost Auditory Processing in Men with Urinary and Erectile Problems

Low urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) and erectile dysfunction (ED) are common and interrelated conditions that affect many men and impair their quality of life. LUTS are characterized by urinary frequency, urgency, nocturia, weak stream, hesitancy, and incomplete emptying. ED is defined as the inability to achieve or maintain an erection sufficient for satisfactory sexual performance. Both LUTS and ED can have various causes, such as aging, vascular dysfunction, inflammation, oxidative stress, or hormonal imbalance.

Tadalafil is a drug that belongs to a class of drugs called phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors (PDE5Is), which work by enhancing the effects of nitric oxide, a chemical that relaxes the smooth muscles of the penis and bladder and increases blood flow to the erectile and urinary tissues. Tadalafil is approved for the treatment of both LUTS and ED in men. However, the mechanisms and benefits of tadalafil treatment for LUTS and ED are not fully understood.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of tadalafil treatment on inflammation, cognitive function, and mismatch negativity (MMN) of patients with LUTS and ED. MMN is a component of the auditory event-related potential (ERP), which is a measure of brain activity in response to sound stimuli. MMN reflects the ability to detect changes or deviations in a sequence of sounds and is considered a marker of auditory sensory memory and attention.

The study involved 40 patients with LUTS and ED who were randomly assigned to receive either tadalafil 5 mg daily or placebo for 12 weeks. The patients were evaluated at baseline and after 12 weeks for the following parameters:

  • Inflammation: The levels of inflammatory markers, such as C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), were measured in the blood samples of the patients.
  • Cognitive function: The cognitive performance of the patients was assessed using the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), which is a brief test that measures general cognitive abilities, such as orientation, memory, attention, language, and visuospatial skills.
  • MMN: The MMN response of the patients was recorded using electroencephalography (EEG), which is a technique that measures the electrical activity of the brain. The patients were presented with a series of sounds that consisted of standard tones (1000 Hz) and deviant tones (1200 Hz) in a random order. The MMN response was calculated as the difference between the ERP elicited by the deviant tones and the ERP elicited by the standard tones.

The results of the study showed that:

  • Tadalafil treatment significantly reduced the levels of CRP, IL-6, TNF-alpha, and MCP-1 in the blood samples of the patients compared to placebo treatment. This indicates that tadalafil treatment has anti-inflammatory effects in patients with LUTS and ED.
  • Tadalafil treatment significantly improved the MMSE scores of the patients compared to placebo treatment. This indicates that tadalafil treatment has beneficial effects on cognitive function in patients with LUTS and ED.
  • Tadalafil treatment significantly increased the MMN amplitude and decreased the MMN latency of the patients compared to placebo treatment. This indicates that tadalafil treatment has positive effects on auditory sensory memory and attention in patients with LUTS and ED.

The study concluded that tadalafil treatment improves inflammation, cognitive function, and MMN of patients with LUTS and ED. The study suggested that these effects may be mediated by the improvement of vascular function and blood flow to the brain and other organs by tadalafil treatment. The study also suggested that these effects may have implications for the prevention or treatment of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease or Parkinson’s disease, which are associated with inflammation, cognitive impairment, and reduced MMN.