TY - JOUR
T1 - Role of nitric oxide in the physiology of erection
AU - Burnett, A. L.
N1 - Copyright:
Copyright 2007 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 1995
Y1 - 1995
N2 - Penile erection is understood to be a neurally regulated physiologic event, although the underlying mechanisms have eluded characterization for more than a century. The classical autonomic parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous systems are involved, but the process of erection does not appear to require cholinergic or adrenergic mechanisms. As the search for the principal mediator of penile erection has continued over time, nitric oxide (NO), a gaseous messenger molecule, has been rapidly advanced to fulfill this elusive role. In the recent past, various biochemical and functional data have accumulated to support this understanding. These have shown that NO is an important mediator of corpus cavernosal smooth muscle relaxation and have revealed its potential sources and mechanisms of action in the penis. Additional work involving animal erection models has established that NO mediates physiologic penile erection. This minireview presents these data and includes results from recent clinical trials that have preliminarily evaluated the efficacy of NO-generating or -releasing compounds for the treatment of erectile dysfunction.
AB - Penile erection is understood to be a neurally regulated physiologic event, although the underlying mechanisms have eluded characterization for more than a century. The classical autonomic parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous systems are involved, but the process of erection does not appear to require cholinergic or adrenergic mechanisms. As the search for the principal mediator of penile erection has continued over time, nitric oxide (NO), a gaseous messenger molecule, has been rapidly advanced to fulfill this elusive role. In the recent past, various biochemical and functional data have accumulated to support this understanding. These have shown that NO is an important mediator of corpus cavernosal smooth muscle relaxation and have revealed its potential sources and mechanisms of action in the penis. Additional work involving animal erection models has established that NO mediates physiologic penile erection. This minireview presents these data and includes results from recent clinical trials that have preliminarily evaluated the efficacy of NO-generating or -releasing compounds for the treatment of erectile dysfunction.
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U2 - 10.1095/biolreprod52.3.485
DO - 10.1095/biolreprod52.3.485
M3 - Short survey
C2 - 7756443
AN - SCOPUS:0028859180
SN - 0006-3363
VL - 52
SP - 485
EP - 489
JO - Biology of reproduction
JF - Biology of reproduction
IS - 3
ER -