Muscular cavernous single cell analysis in patients with venoocclusive dysfunction.

Abstract

Enzymatically isolated smooth muscle cells of the corpora cavernosa obtained from open biopsies of 15 patients, clinically nonresponding to papaverine/phentolamine and prostaglandin E1 (PGE1) and classified by cavernosometry, were examined using the patch-clamp technique in the whole-cell configuration mode simultaneously monitoring the intracellular calcium concentration by means of the Ca(2+)-sensitive fluorescence dye FURA-II. It could be demonstrated that extracellularly applied PGE1 induces smooth muscle relaxation by inhibition of voltage-dependent L-type Ca2+ currents (58 +/- 8%). Compared to intact cavenous tissue (n = 5), the smooth muscle cells of 14/15 PGE1 nonresponders had no evidence of functional disturbance. Due to intact smooth muscle cells in most cases, etiology of venoocclusive dysfunction remains unclear.