A comprehensive analysis on the relationship between BDE-209 exposure and erectile dysfunction

Decabromodiphenyl ether (mainly BDE-209) is a commonly used brominated flame retardant in various in-dustrial products. Although its damage to the reproduction system has been established, its effect on erectile function remains unclear. The present study investigated whether BDE-209 induced erectile dysfunction in male SD rats and the underlying mechanisms. Pubertal male rats were exposed to BDE-209 orally (0, 5, 50, and 500 mg/kg/day) for 28 days and the ICP (intracavernous pressure) and MAP (mean arterial pressure) were measured. After the rats were euthanized, the fibrosis and apoptosis levels were evaluated. Additionally, the endothelial function of the rat vascular endothelium cells and the human umbilical vein endothelial cells were impaired after treatment with 50 mu M and 100 mu M BDE-209. Moreover, the bioinformatics based on CTD database and ChIP-X Enrichment Analysis, version 3 (ChEA3) and molecular docking analysis demonstrated that 5 transcription factors (NFKB1, NR3C1, E2F5, REL, IRF4) might regulate endothelial function by affecting the expression of interactive genes (BCL-2, CAP3, CAT, TNF, MAPK1, and MAPK3). In summary, the present study demonstrated that BDE-209 might affect downstream interactive genes by binding to transcription factors, leading to corpus cavernosum endothelial dysfunction, thus contributing to erectile dysfunction in rats.

Automated summary

This study investigated the effect of the brominated flame retardant BDE-209 on erectile function in rats and identified potential underlying mechanisms. The findings suggest that BDE-209 may impair endothelial function and gene expression, leading to erectile dysfunction.