Relaxing Effects of Acanthopanacis Cortex through NO Production and PDE-5 Inhibition in Corpus Cavernosum

오가피의 NO 생성과 PDE-5 억제를 통한 음경해면체 이완효과

This study was aimed to examine relaxing effects of Acanthopanacis cortex(AC) through nitric oxide(NO) production and phosphodiesterase type 5(PDE-5) inhibition in corpus cavernosum. In order to define the relaxation effects of AC extract, rabbit corpus cavernous tissues were prepared in $2{\times}2{\times}8mm$ sized strip. AC extract ($0.01-3.0mg/m{\ell}$) were treated in contracted strips induced by phenylephrine(PE) and $N{\omega}$-nitro-L-arginine (L-NNA) was treated before AC extract-treated. And calcium chloride($Ca^{2+}$) 1 mM was infused into precontracted strips after pretreatment of AC extract in $Ca^{2+}-free$ krebs-ringer solution. When AC extract was applied to human umbilical vein endothelial cell(HUVEC), cell viability was measured by MTT assay, and NO concentration was measured by Griess reagent system. Ratio of smooth muscles to collagen fibers and eNOS, PDE-5 positive reaction were measured by histochemical and immunohistochemical process on mice corpus cavernosum. AC extract significantly affected relaxion of the cavernous strips, and the pretreatment of L-NNA inhibited AC extract-induced relaxation. Contraction induced by the addition of $Ca^{2+}$ was inhibited by treatment with the AC extract in $Ca^{2+}-free$ solution. In AC group, NO concentration, ratio of smooth muscle to collagen fibers, and eNOS positive reaction were increased, PDE-5 positive reaction was decreased compared to PE group. As a result of the above experiment, it was thought that AC extract inhibits the inflow of extracellular $Ca^{2+}$ by activating cGMP through the increase of eNOS / NO and the decrease of PDE-5 which inhibits cGMP activity, in the corpus cavernosum.