To investigate the role of cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) in penile erection in relation to the effect of prostaglandin E(1) (PGE(1)), male adult New Zealand white rabbits were utilized as a model to study intracavemous pressure(ICP) in vivo. After intracavemous injection of PGE(1) (0.2-1.6 µg/kg) and 8-bromocyclic adenosine monophosphate (8-Br-cAMP, 0.5-1.5 mg/kg), both drugs raised the ICP in a dose-dependent manner. The increased ICPs induced by PGE(1) and 8-Br-cAMP were 33.4 ± 8.12 and 24.1 ± 4.9 mm Hg,respectively (p < 0.05, paired Student’s t test). Administrations of cyclic adenosine monophosphothioate, Rp-isomer (cAMP antagonist, 0.02-0.08 pmol/kg) prior to PGE(1) injections inhibited the effect of PGE(1) in vivo in a dosedependent manner. The systemic blood pressures and heart rates in rabbits were unchanged during all the intracavemous injections. The corpus cavemosal tissues isolated from rabbits were studied for the cAMP contents after incubation of different doses of PGE(1) in vitro. The cAMP contents were also elevated in a manner parallel with the increases in PGEi concentrations (3-9 µM). We conclude: (1) the feasibility of intracavemous injection of vasoactive drugs is similar to that in man, thus the rabbit can be used as a suitable alternative for the studies of penile erection, and (2) cAMP is mediated in PGE(1)-induced relaxation of the rabbit corpus cavemosum, and the cAMP system only participates partially in penile erection.

Keywords:
Cyclic AMP, Prostaglandin E(1), Erection
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1995
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