[Aging reduces contents of endogenous CO, cAMP and cGMP in rat penile tissues].
OBJECTIVE
To explore the relationship of aging with the changes of endogenous carbon monoxide (CO), cGMP and cAMP contents in the penile tissues of rats.


METHODS
Twenty-four male rats were equally divided into an 8-month, a 16-month and a 24-month group, and their penile erection was detected by injecting apomorphine, their penile cavernous body harvested, and the contents of CO, cAPM and cGMP detected by improved dual wavelength spectrophotometry.


RESULTS
The contents of CO, cAPM and cGMP were reduced with the increase of age, with statistically significant differences between the three age groups (P < 0.01).


CONCLUSIONS
Aging significantly decreased the contents of CO, cAMP and cGMP in the penile tissues of the rats, which suggests that aging might play an important role in erectile dysfunction.
Qin
Wen-Bo
WB
Department of Urology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Jiamusi University, Jiamusi, Heilongjiang 154007, China.
Wang
Shu-Qiu
SQ
Li
Ming
M
Kang
Yu-Ming
YM
Gui
Shi-Liang
SL
Chi
Bao-Jin
BJ