A standardized procedure for using human corpus cavernosum strips to evaluate drug activity

The main problem of using human corpus cavernosum (HCC) tissue to perform b ioassay is linked to its limited availability further complicated by the he terogeneous source of the tissues used. Here, we show that gender reassignm ent is a reliable source of human tissue without major ethical problems. In deed, the entire corpus cavernosum is obtained from the surgery procedure, which allows creating a standardized procedure to prepare HCC strip. In add ition, human tissue, if kept in the fridge in the condition described, does not loose its ability to contract to phenylephrine (PE; alpha agonist), an giotensin IT (AG II) and KCl up to 4 days. Furthermore, once contracted wit h PE, HCC relaxes to acetylcholine (endothelium-dependent mechanism); sodiu m nitroprusside (endothelium-independent mechanism); cromakalim (CRK), a K- ATP channel opener; or alprostadil, a synthetic PGE(2) (ALPR). In conclusio n, we have standardized a procedure that allows the use of HCC strips to ev aluate drug activity and/or to study pathophysiological mechanisms with an intact functional human tissue up to 4 days from the surgery procedure. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.