title: Effects of acetaldehyde on responses of rabbit corpus cavernosal smooth muscle.
abstract: Ethanol has various effects on male sexual activity under the influence of direct and indirect, in acute and chronic alcohol ingestion. However, whether acetaldehyde, a principal metabolite of ethanol, may affect penile erection directly has still not been elucidated. This present study was, therefore, designed to clarify the pharmacologic effects of the acetaldehyde on corpus cavernosal smooth muscle. Corpus cavernosal strips were prepared from rabbit penises. Isometric tension changes of rabbit corpus cavernosal strips to various drugs and electrical field stimulation (EFS) in an organ chamber were recorded with a pressure transducer after active muscle tone had been induced by phenylephrine (10(-5) mol/L). At the concentrations employed, acetaldehyde had no effect on the pH of the bathing medium. Acetaldehyde in each concentration did not significantly affect resting tone of the smooth muscle during 30 min incubation. Acetaldehyde suppressed contractility induced by phenylephrine and KCI at 10(-4) mol/L, and relaxation induced by EFS and bethanechol at 10(-3) mol/L and 10(-4) mol/L respectively, but acetaldehyde enhanced relaxation induced by ATP at high acetaldehyde level. Sodium nitroprusside-induced relaxation was not affected at any employed acetaldehyde concentration. This suggests that increasing the acetaldehyde level may contribute to male erectile dysfunction mainly by the inhibition of nitric oxide formation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Dankook University College of Medicine, Cheonan, Korea. shimwon2@anseo.dankook.ac.kr
authors.forename: H J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Sohng
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: S K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Koh
mesh_terms: D000079:Acetaldehyde / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D018723:Bethanechol / Q000494:pharmacology; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D008297:Male; D009119:Muscle Contraction / Q000187:drug effects; D009126:Muscle Relaxation / Q000187:drug effects; D009130:Muscle, Smooth / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D009599:Nitroprusside / Q000494:pharmacology; D010413:Penis / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D010656:Phenylephrine / Q000494:pharmacology; D011189:Potassium Chloride / Q000494:pharmacology; D011817:Rabbits
chemical_list: D018723:Bethanechol; D009599:Nitroprusside; D010656:Phenylephrine; D011189:Potassium Chloride; D000079:Acetaldehyde