Priviero Fernanda B M, Leite Romulo, Webb R Clinton, Teixeira Cleber E
Department of Physiology, Medical College of Georgia, 1120 15th Street, CA 3101 Augusta, GA 30912-3000, USA.
Acta Pharmacol Sin. 2007 Jun;28(6):751-5. doi: 10.1111/j.1745-7254.2007.00584.x.
Penile erection involves a complex interaction between the central nervous system and local factors. It is a neurovascular event modulated by psychological and hormonal factors. The discovery of nitric oxide (NO) as an intercellular messenger or neurotransmitter paved the way for identifying important mechanisms underlying physiological and pathophysiological events in the penis, in addition to providing the knowledge for the development of new therapeutics based on a novel concept of molecule and cell interaction. Despite the fact that sinusoidal endothelial cells also produce and release NO in response to chemical and possibly physical stimuli, roles of neurogenic NO in penile erection appear to be more attractive and convincing, since the pharmacological neuromodulation represents an essential step to attaining penile erection. Erectile dysfunction (ED) is caused by a variety of pathogenic factors, particularly impaired formation and action of NO. Hence, a thorough knowledge of the physiology of erection is essential for future pharmacological innovations in the field of male ED, particularly targeting NO or intracellular cyclic GMP, which represent the most promising therapeutic approach to treat patients with ED.
阴茎勃起涉及中枢神经系统与局部因素之间的复杂相互作用。它是一种受心理和激素因素调节的神经血管事件。一氧化氮（NO）作为一种细胞间信使或神经递质的发现，为确定阴茎生理和病理生理事件的重要机制铺平了道路，此外还为基于分子和细胞相互作用的新概念开发新疗法提供了知识。尽管窦状内皮细胞也会响应化学和可能的物理刺激产生并释放NO，但神经源性NO在阴茎勃起中的作用似乎更具吸引力和说服力，因为药理学神经调节是实现阴茎勃起的关键步骤。勃起功能障碍（ED）由多种致病因素引起，尤其是NO的生成和作用受损。因此，深入了解勃起生理学对于男性勃起功能障碍领域未来的药理学创新至关重要，特别是针对NO或细胞内环磷酸鸟苷（cGMP）的创新，这代表了治疗勃起功能障碍患者最有前景的治疗方法。
