Villegas G, Tar MT, Davies KP, et al. - Findings validate a rat model of pelvic surgery showing erectile dysfunction and indicate that post-surgical trauma, systemic release of cytokines/chemokines occurs which might mediate a pathological inflammatory response in tissues distal to the location of surgical trauma, indirectly causing cavernous nerve injury and erectile dysfunction.

• Animal models were used to determine molecular mechanisms whereby pelvic surgery results in erectile dysfunction.

• Male Sprague–Dawley rats underwent pelvic laparotomy, avoiding direct cavernous nerve injury (a model of pelvic surgery).

• A second group of animals had bilateral transection of the cavernous nerve (a model of direct cavernous nerve injury).

• Significant erectile dysfunction occurred 3 days postoperatively in the pelvic surgery model even in the absence of direct nerve injury.

• Cavernous nerve injury was indicated by the profile of differentially expressed genes in cavernosal tissue, even in this animal model of nerve-sparing pelvic surgery.

• Significant alterations in circulating cytokine/chemokine levels were evident 6 hr post-surgery but an inflammatory response in the major pelvic ganglion, cavernous nerve and cavernosal tissue occurred 3 days post-surgery.