title: Melanocortin receptor agonists in the treatment of male and female sexual dysfunctions: results from basic research and clinical studies.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Over the last 20 years, basic and clinical research activities studying the male and female sexual responses have led to several pharmacological options to treat male erectile dysfunction (ED) and female arousal and orgasmic disorders. While some strategies exclusively focus on peripheral mechanisms--such as nitric oxide/cyclic GMP signaling, which is known to play a role in the control of genital vascular and nonvascular smooth muscle--others have considered the central pathways involved in mediating arousal and orgasmic functions in females as well as the induction of penile erection in males. Aside from dopaminergic agonists, drugs known to target the central melanocortin system have also been assumed to have a promising potential in the treatment of female and male sexual dysfunctions.
  
  
  METHODS
  The present review summarizes the achievements that have been made in the clinical development of melanocortin receptor (MCR) agonists (melanotan I, melanotan II, bremelanotide) for the treatment of symptoms of sexual arousal and orgasmic disorders in adult females and ED in males.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The data available at present have facilitated our understanding of how the melanocortin pathway regulates both the male and female sexual functions. Indeed the data warrant further investigation to demonstrate the impact of the activation of MCRs by specific agonists on penile erection and female arousal and orgasm function.
authors.affiliation: Hannover Medical School, Division of Surgery, Department of Urology and Urological Oncology , Carl-Neuberg-Str. 1, 30625 Hannover , Germany +49 511 5 32 34 37 ; +49 511 5 32 34 81 ; sue_de_99@yahoo.de.
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ückert
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bannowsky
authors.forename: Knut
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Albrecht
authors.forename: Markus A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Kuczyk
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D015195:Drug Design; D007172:Erectile Dysfunction / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D058990:Molecular Targeted Therapy; D010410:Penile Erection / Q000187:drug effects; D044101:Receptors, Melanocortin / Q000819:agonists*; D020018:Sexual Dysfunctions, Psychological / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology
chemical_list: D044101:Receptors, Melanocortin
keywords: bremelanotide; female sexual dysfunctions; male erectile dysfunction; melanocortinergic agonists