Background Our laboratory has shown that phosphodiesterase-5 (PDE-5) inhibitors including sildenafil, vardenafil and tadalafil induce powerful protection against myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury. We have shown that sildenafil protects through activation PKC, expression of eNOS/ iNOS, protein kinase G (PKG) and opening of mitochondrial KATP (mitoKATP) channels [1]. Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) i...

Male erectile dysfunction is a common medical condition. Recent advances in our understanding of corpora cavernosa physiology have resulted in three effective oral medications (sildenafil, vardenafil and tadalafil--all phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors), which can effectively treat many men with erectile dysfunction. However, a large number of men are not adequately treated by these medicatio...

The major constituent of green tea, (-)-epigallocatechin-3-O-gallate (EGCG), has been shown to have cancer-preventive and therapeutic activities. Numerous molecular targets for EGCG have been proposed, but the mechanisms of its anticancer activities are not clearly understood. In this issue of the JCI, Kumazoe et al. report that EGCG activates 67-kDa laminin receptor (67LR), elevates cGMP level...

To the Editor: The QT-RR interval relationship is too complex to be described by using simple correction factors. Because the regulatory and commercial impact of even minor errors in drug studies can be far reaching, these correction factors have come under scrutiny. The letter by Dr Barbey, “Vardenafil-Associated QTc Changes: Not Merely a Normal Autonomic Process,” emphasizes the important poi...

INTRODUCTION We investigated the effect angiotensin II (Ang II), a corpus cavernosal smooth muscle (CCSM) constrictor peptide, has on tissue taken from rabbits following chronic partial bladder outlet obstruction (PBOO), as this model is characterized by an increase in corpus cavernosal collagen deposition and a marked reduction and impaired relaxation of CCSM cells. AIM To determine the inte...