Effects of chronic unilateral internal pudendal arterial occlusion on reactivity of isolated corpus cavernosum strips from rabbits

An animal model was developed to elucidate the effect of chronic obstructio n of the internal pudendal artery on the responsiveness of the corpus caver nosum. In male albino rabbits, the internal pudendal artery was chronically ligated unilaterally with a silk tie and the occlusion was maintained for 1 month. The control group was sham-operated. The reactivity of corpus cave rnosum tissue from the ligated animals and the control animals was studied in organ chambers. Unilateral chronic ligation of the internal pudendal art ery caused an impaired contractile response to alpha-adrenoceptor stimulati on with decreased E-m and pD(2) values and an impaired relaxant response to electrical field stimulation but resulted in a marked increase in the endo thelium-dependent relaxant response to carbachol with an increased pD(2) va lue. However chronic obstruction of the pudendal artery had no effect on ad enosine-, papaverine- and sodium nitroprusside-induced relaxant responses, and there was no change in agonist potency. These data indicate that altere d penile hemodynamics have an effect on the reactivity of the corpus cavern osum and may contribute to the etiology of impotence. (C) 1999 Elsevier Sci ence B.V. All rights reserved.