What is it about?
This is a basic science study investigating what happens inside the specific cells of the penis to cause an erection. The Model: It uses monkeys because their reproductive anatomy and physiology are very similar to humans. The Focus: It looks at "smooth muscle cells" inside the erectile tissue. The Mechanism: It details the complex chemical chain reaction within these cells (involving molecules like nitric oxide, cGMP, and calcium) that tells them to relax. The Result: It explains that an erection occurs only when these microscopic muscle cells actively relax, opening up spaces for blood to rush in.
Featured Image
Photo by Pawel Czerwinski on Unsplash
Why is it important?
Foundation of Treatment: Understanding this exact chemical pathway is how drugs like Viagra (sildenafil) were developed. These drugs work by manipulating the very intracellular mechanisms described in this paper. Translational Medicine: Because monkey physiology is so close to ours, these findings are highly relevant to understanding human erectile function and dysfunction. Defining the Target: If we know precisely which chemical signals are required for erection, we can identify exactly where the process breaks down in patients with ED.
Perspectives
The Scientist/Surgeon View (Dr. Hsu): Erection isn't just "plumbing"; it is sophisticated biochemistry. You cannot truly understand clinical treatments (like pills or injections) unless you understand the molecular pathways they act upon inside the cell. The Patient's View: It provides scientific validation that ED is often a physical, chemical problem within their cells, not a psychological failure.
Professor Geng-Long Hsu
Microsurgical Potency Reconstruction and Research Center, Hsu’s Andrology
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Intracellular mechanism of penile erection in monkeys, Neurourology and Urodynamics, January 1994, Wiley,
DOI: 10.1002/nau.1930130110.
You can read the full text:
Contributors
The following have contributed to this page
