Genetic Biomarkers for Erectile Dysfunction Risk and Treatment Response

Thirty-five studies were synthesized in a systematic review investigating genetic polymorphisms linked to erectile dysfunction. The review, registered in PROSPERO, focused on biomarkers in nitric oxide and vascular pathways like NOS3, PDE5A, and VEGF. It found most evidence had low certainty, with 77.8% of studies showing moderate risk of bias.

Use Cases

• Analyze associations between NOS3 G894T, T-786C, and intron 4 VNTR variants and ED susceptibility or severity.
• Investigate the influence of PDE5A and VEGF polymorphisms on pharmacological response to PDE5 inhibitors.
• Assess the methodological quality and certainty of evidence across 35 included studies using JBI tools and GRADE.

Strengths

• Systematic synthesis of 35 studies following PRISMA 2020 guidelines.
• Focus on specific genetic pathways including NOS3, PDE5A, VEGF, ACE, ARG1/ARG2, DDAH1/2, and MTHFR.
• Includes quantitative quality assessments: 77.8% of studies had moderate risk of bias and 80.6% showed low certainty of evidence.

Limitations

• The underlying evidence base is characterized by low certainty, with only one study reaching moderate certainty.
• Methodological limitations are pervasive across the included studies, as noted in the review.
• The dataset is a small 18.6 KB document summarizing findings, not the raw study data.

Provenance

Source

figshare

Collection Method

Systematic review conducted via searches in MEDLINE, Embase, Scopus, LILACS, and Web of Science.

Freshness

Last updated March 24, 2026.