Abstract
All prospective studies in man, on the risk factors for erectile dysfunction, have confirmed the aetiological role of hypercholesterolaemia in the clinical condition. A daily intake of fresh egg yolk precipitated gross hypercholesterolaemia in our rabbit model. Coinciding with the appearance of foam cell lesions in the corpus cavernosum were the early functional changes of the penile smooth muscle. In vitro pharmacological studies on the corpus cavemosal strips at the end of eight weeks demonstrated a profound accentuation of the contractile response to noradrenaline and histamine. In addition, there were significant inhibitions of the relaxant responses to acetylcholine and nitroglycerin and alterations to electrical field stimulation in the two groups of treated rabbits. The results of this study contribute to our understanding of the imminent erectile dysfunction and its clinical expression in patients with hypercholesterolaemia.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 77-80 |
Number of pages | 4 |
Journal | Asia Pacific Journal of Pharmacology |
Volume | 12 |
Issue number | 3-4 |
Publication status | Published - Dec 1997 |
Keywords
- Atherosclerosis
- Corpus cavernosum
- Hypercholesterolaemia
- Impotence