CORPUS CAVERNOSUM

FUNCTIONAL PHARMACOLOGY ASSAYS

• Erectile dysfunction (ED)

• Animal (rat, rabbit, guinea-pig, others upon request)

• Cavernosal smooth muscle

• Muscarinic receptors
• Adrenoceptors (α1)
• EP1, EP2, EP3 receptors (PGE1)
• ET-A , ET-B receptors (ET-1)
• Rho Kinase
• Phosphodiesterases
• Soluble guanylate cyclase
• Others

The penis is removed and cavernosal smooth muscle is dissected free from the tunica albuginea.
The erectile tissue is cut into small strips and mounted under 2 g initial tension in 5 ml organ baths containing
oxygenated Krebs-Henseleit solution.

Contractile responses are measured using isometric tension transducers and recorded using a data acquisition system. After one hour of equilibration, tissues are treated with a concentration of norepinephrine or phenylephrine that produces a submaximal response.

Examples of two experimental protocols:

Protocol A: Relaxation of pre-contracted tissues by increasing concentrations of test compound.

Protocol B: Relaxation of pre-contracted tissues by increasing frequencies of electrical field stimulation in the presence (or absence) of a test compound.

• Palea S et al, NS Arch Pharmacol 358 (1, sup), 1998
• Barras M and Palea S, BJU Int 91: 873-7, 2003