Abstract：
Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and Western Medicine both have shown efficacy in treating male sexual dysfunction (MSD). The aim of this perspective paper is to discuss a possible link between Western medicine and TCM in the MSD field as represented by the entity of Klotho. Klotho is a recently discovered protein, mainly expressed in the kidney, encoded by the anti-aging gene klotho. Not only is Klotho significantly correlated with the development and progression of kidney diseases and their complications, but increasing evidence indicates that it is also closely related to MSD. A comprehensive search within PubMed database was performed to retrieve available evidence on Klotho\'s roles, particularly in kidney and in MSD. Indeed, in the TCM theory, the concept of the \"kidney\" is entirely different from the Western medicine: it is closely related to metabolism and to the reproductive, nervous, endocrine systems, being more than just a urinary organ. According to the \"Kidney storing essence (jīng) and governing reproduction\" (KSEGR) theory, a cornerstone in TCM, the treatment of MSD mainly consists of restoring the kidney\'s function. Signs of decreasing kidney essence show a consistent similarity to deficiencies of Klotho, also for what regards the male sexual function. Based on the current evidence, Klotho may represent a potential biological indicator for sexual desire and sexual function and a kind of new scientific Silk Road between TCM and Western medicine for MSD; nevertheless, there is a need to conduct further high-quality research to prove this hypothesis.
摘要：
中药(TCM)和西药均显示出治疗男性性功能障碍(MSD)的疗效。本文的目的是讨论以Klotho实体为代表的MSD领域中西医与中医之间的可能联系。Klotho是最近发现的一种蛋白质,主要在肾脏表达,由抗衰老基因klotho编码。Klotho不仅与肾脏疾病及其并发症的发展和进展密切相关，但越来越多的证据表明，它也与MSD密切相关。在PubMed数据库中进行了全面搜索，以检索有关Klotho角色的可用证据，特别是在肾脏和MSD中。的确,在中医理论中，“肾”的概念与西医完全不同：它与新陈代谢和生殖密切相关，紧张,内分泌系统,不仅仅是一个泌尿器官。根据“肾脏储存精华(j62ng)和控制生殖”(KSEGR)理论，中医的基石，MSD的治疗主要包括恢复肾功能。肾精减少的迹象显示与Klotho缺乏一致的相似性，还有关于男性的性功能。根据目前的证据,Klotho可能代表了性欲和性功能的潜在生物学指标，也是中西医学对MSD的一种新的科学丝绸之路。有必要进行进一步的高质量研究来证明这一假设。
