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Physiology and pathophysiology of erection: consequences for present medical therapy of erectile dysfunction
Author(s) -
Schultheiss D.,
Stief C. G.
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
andrologia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.633
H-Index - 59
eISSN - 1439-0272
pISSN - 0303-4569
DOI - 10.1111/j.1439-0272.1999.tb01452.x
Subject(s) - erectile dysfunction , pathophysiology , smooth muscle , neuroscience , medicine , mechanism (biology) , intracellular , bioinformatics , biology , microbiology and biotechnology , physics , quantum mechanics
Summary. Smooth muscle relaxation of the corpus cavernosum is the key mechanism of erection. It depends on a cascade of consecutive regulatory systems starting in the central nervous system, and proceeding via peripheral neuro‐transmission to intracellular signal transmission within the cavernous smooth muscle cells. Knowledge of these interacting mechanisms of erection is fundamental for understanding of the mode of action of new and possibly selective pharmacological agents that are presently available or under evaluation for treatment of erectile dysfunction.