Fucoidan and 16:8 intermittent fasting attenuate oxidative stress and cavernosal remodeling in an STZ/NA-induced type 2 diabetic rat model

Objective: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) induces erectile dysfunction (ED) via oxidative stress and structural remodeling ofthe corpus cavernosum (CC). This study investigated the protective effects of fucoidan and intermittent fasting (IF), alone and incombination, on cavernosal impairment in a T2DM rat model.Materials and Methods: Male Sprague-Dawley rats were assigned to Control, Diabetic (streptozotocin [STZ]/nicotinamide [NA]-induced), Diabetic+Fucoidan (DF), Diabetic+IF (DIF), and Diabetic+Fucoidan+IF (DFIF) groups. After a 4-week intervention,cavernosal function was assessed using an organ bath assay. Oxidative stress was evaluated using superoxide dismutase (SOD) activityand luminol/lucigenin chemiluminescence. Structural changes were analyzed using hematoxylin and eosin (H&E), Masson’s trichrome,and endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS)/alpha-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) immunohistochemistry.Results: Type 2 diabetes mellitus induced significant trabecular disorganization and increased collagen deposition (p