New Therapeutic Applications of Phosphodiesterase 5 Inhibitors (PDE5-Is).
BACKGROUND
Phosphodiesterase 5 inhibitors (PDE5-Is) sildenafil, vardenafil, tadalafil and the recently approved avanafil represent the first-line choice for both on-demand and chronic treatment of erectile dysfunction (ED). In addition to this, sildenafil and tadalafil, have also been approved for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension. Due to its expression and localization in many tissues, PDE5 and its regulation has been reported to be involved in several other diseases.


OBJECTIVE
We aim to provide an updated overview of the emerging therapeutic applications of PDE5-Is besides ED, taking into account the latest ongoing research reports.


METHODS
We searched online databases (Pubmed, Reaxys, Scopus) to lay the bases for an accurate, quality criteria-based literature update. We focused our attention on most recent research reports, in particular when supported by pre-clinical and clinical data.


RESULTS
The regulation of PDE5 may influence pathological conditions such as, among the others, heart failure, cystic fibrosis, cancer, CNS-related diseases, diabetes and dysfunctions affecting male urinary/reproductive system.


CONCLUSIONS
Sildenafil, vardenafil, tadalafil and the other chemical entities considered PDE5-Is showed overall positive results and significant improvements in the studied disease, thus some discordant results, in particular when comparing pre-clinical and clinical data, have to be pointed out, suggesting that further insights are needed especially to assess the exact molecular pathway underlying.
Giovanni
G
Ribaudo
Mario Angelo
MA
Pagano
Sergio
S
Bova
Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences, University of Padova, Via Marzolo 5, 35131 Padova (PD), Italy. giuseppe.zagotto@unipd.it.
Giuseppe
G
Zagotto
D007172:Erectile Dysfunction / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D058986:Phosphodiesterase 5 Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*
D058986:Phosphodiesterase 5 Inhibitors