Abstract
The effects of ultraviolet (UV) light (310 nm) on human cavernosal smooth muscles were investigated. Cavernosal strips were obtained from men during penile prosthetic surgery. When the cavernosal strips were irradiated with UV light in an organ bath, after precontraction by norepinephrine (100 nM) for 10, 20, 40 and 90 s at intervals of 3 min, the contracted cavernosal smooth muscles from the impotent men without vascular risk factors (controls) showed relaxation depending on the duration of irradiation. However, the relaxation was not found when the strips were pretreated with methylene blue (10 μM) or their epithelia were denuded. The relaxation response of the cavernosal strips from the patients with diabetogenic impotence was significantly reduced compared with that of the controls. Photorelaxation of human cavernosal strips therefore seems to be dependent on endothelium.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Baik YH, Shin SP (1990) Contractile and inhibitory responses to LY 249933 of isolated porcine cerebral arteries. Chonnam J Med Sci 3:91
Baik YH, Kim JK, Kim YI, Lee JE, Kang JC (1991) Ultraviolet light-induced relaxant response in arterial smooth muscles: Mediators of the response and effect of calcium modulators on the relaxation. Kor Cir J 21:1126
Cauvin C, Loutzenhiser R, Van Breemen C (1983) Mechanisms of calcium antagonist-induced vasodilation. Ann Rev Pharmacol Toxicol 23:373
Furchgott RF, Jothianandan D (1991) Endothelium-dependent and -independent vasodilatation involving cyclic GMP: Relaxation induced by nitric oxide, carbon monoxide and light. Blood Vessels 28:52
Furchgott RF, Sleator W Jr, McCaman MW, Elchlepp J (1955) Relaxation of arterial strips by light and the influence of drugs on this photodynamic effect. J Pharmacol Exp Ther 113:22
Furchgott RF, Ehreich SJ, Greenblatt E (1961) The photoactivated relaxation of smooth muscle of rabbit aorta. J Gen Physiol 44:499
Furchgott RF, Martin W, Jothianandan D, Villani GM (1984) Comparison of endothelium-dependent relaxation by light in the rabbit aorta. In: Paton W, Mitchell J, Turner P (eds) Proceedings of the 9th International Congress of Pharmacology. Macmillan, Basingstoke, p 149
Furchgott RF, Martin W, Cherry PD, Jothianandan D, Villani GM (1985) Endothelium-dependent relaxation, photorelaxation and cyclic GMP. In: Bevan JA, Godfraind T, Maxwell RA, Stoclet JC, Worcel M (eds) Vascular neuroeffector mechanism. Elsevier, Amsterdam, p 105
Karlsson JOG, Axelsson KL, Andersson RGG (1984) Effects of ultraviolet radiation on the tension and the cyclic GMP level of bovine mesenteric arteries. Life Sci 34:1556
Karlsson JOG, Axelsson RGG, Elwing H, Andersson RGG (1986) Action spectra of photoactivated cyclic GMP metabolism and relaxation of bovine mesenteric artery. J Cyclic Nucl Prot Phosph Res 11:155
Kim SC, Alm SY, Park SH, Lee MY, Uhm DY (1995) A comparison of the relaxation responses of isolated cavernosal smooth muscles by endothelium-independent and endothelium-dependent vasodilators in diabetic men with impotence. J Kor Med Sci 10:1
Lincoln TM, Laks J, Johnson RM (1985) Ultraviolet radiation-induced decreases in tension and phosphorylase formation in rat aorta. J Cyclic Nucl Prot Phosph Res 10:525
Matsunaga K, Furchgott RF (1989) Interactions of light and sodium nitrite in producing relaxation of rabbit aorta. J Pharmacol Exp Ther 248:678
Mikkelsen E, Kazda S, Nyborg NCB (1985) Effects of light and Bay K 8644, a new 1,4-dihydropyridine, on mechanical responses of rat thoracic aorta. Acta Pharmacol Toxicol 56:126
Ryu BS, Kook H, Baik YM (1992) Relationship between cyclic nucleotides and ultraviolet light-induced mechanical responses in isolated rat thoracic aorta. Chonnnam J Med Sci 5:123
Venturini CM, Palmer RMJ, Moncada S (1993) Vascular smooth muscle contains a depletable store of a vasodilator which is light-activated and restored by donors of nitric oxide. J Pharmacol Exp Ther 266:1497
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Kim, S.C., Oh, C.H., Park, J.K. et al. Effects of ultraviolet light on the tension of isolated human cavernosal smooth muscle from non-diabetic and diabetic impotent men. Urol. Res. 25, 149–152 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01037932
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01037932