Vol. 44 (4): 794-799, July – August, 2018

doi: 10.1590/S1677-5538.IBJU.2017.0663

ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Aliseydi Bozkurt 1, Mehmet Karabakan 2, Binhan Kagan Aktas 3, Murat Gunay 4, Ercüment Keskin 1, Erkan Hirik 1
1 Department of Urology, Erzincan University Mengucek Gazi Research and Training Hospital, Erzincan, Turkey; 2 Department of Urology, Mersin Toros State Hospital, Mersin, Turkey; 3 Department of Urology, Ankara Numune Research and Training Hospital, Ankara, Turkey; 4 Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Erzincan University Mengucek Gazi Research and Training Hospital, Erzincan, Turkey

ABSTRACT

 

Objective: Melatonin is a hormone secreted from the pineal gland and has anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory effects. Oxidative stress is considered as an important factor in the etiology of erectile dysfunction (ED), and in many experimental models, positive re­sults have been obtained with melatonin treatment. This study aimed to measure serum melatonin levels in ED patients and to investigate the possible relationship between ED and melatonin levels.

Materials and Methods: Sixty-two patients diagnosed with mild, moderate or severe ED according to the five-item International Erectile Function Index (IIEF-5) and 22 healthy individuals were included in the study. The serum melatonin levels, anthropometric data, and other biochemical and hormonal parameters of all the subjects were recorded. De­tailed anamnesis was also obtained in terms of diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, smoking status, and alcohol use.

Results: The serum melatonin level was found 34.2±13.3 ng/dL in the mild ED group, 33.3±14.7 ng/dL in the moderate ED group, 34.8±17.2 ng/dL in the severe ED group, and 44.6±16.5 ng/dL in the control group. The serum melatonin levels were significantly lower in all ED groups compared to the control group (p=0.019). There was no signifi­cant difference in the serum melatonin levels between the three ED groups. Diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, smoking and alcohol use were not significantly different between the ED groups (p>0.05).

Conclusion: We consider that if our findings are supported by further studies with larger populations, the measurement of the serum melatonin level may have a future role in the diagnosis and treatment of ED.

Keywords: Erectile Dysfunction; etiology [Subheading]; Melatonin; Oxidative Stress

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