A RAT MODEL OF PEYRONIE’S DISEASE ASSOCIATED WITH A DECREASE IN ERECTILE ACTIVITY AND AN INCREASE IN INDUCIBLE NITRIC OXIDE SYNTHASE PROTEIN EXPRESSION

Abstract

Conclusions We have shown that erectile function is significantly lower in the TGF-β1-injected and surgical-injury rats after 6 weeks at a time when iNOS is upregulated and constitutive NOS is downregulated. Furthermore, iNOS inhibition causes a greater erectile response in the rat, suggesting that iNOS may alter the vascular tone in the penis. These data document a possible mechanism by which some men with Peyronie’s disease suffer from erectile dysfunction.