OBJECTIVE To investigate the synergic effect of propionyl L-carnitine (PLC) plus sildenafil in reducing monocyte oxidative activity and endothelial dysfunction markers in diabetic patients with erectile dysfunction (ED). METHODS Thirty-two type 2 diabetic patients with ED (according to the International Index of Erectile Function-5 [IIEF-5]) were randomized to receive PLC (2 g/d) alone (n=8) ...

BACKGROUND Phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE5) hydrolyzes cyclic guanosine monophosphate in the lung, thereby modulating nitric oxide (NO)/cyclic guanosine monophosphate-mediated pulmonary vasodilation. Inhibitors of PDE5 have been proposed for the treatment of pulmonary hypertension. In this study, we examined the pulmonary and systemic vasodilator properties of sildenafil, a novel selective PDE5 ...

BACKGROUND Sildenafil is commonly used in the treatment of erectile dysfunction in hypertensive male cardiac transplant recipients (CTR); however, little is known about the vascular effects of sildenafil in these patients. METHODS Central and peripheral arterial blood pressure (BP), heart rate, and brachial artery reactivity were determined in 15 hypertensive male CTR before and after oral si...

BACKGROUND Sudden reoxygenation of hypoxic neonates undergoing cardiac operation exacerbates the systemic inflammatory response to cardiopulmonary bypass secondary to reoxygenation injury, worsening cardiopulmonary dysfunction. Reports suggest sildenafil decreases pulmonary hypertension and may affect myocardial function. Sildenafil's efficacy for treating postbypass cardiopulmonary dysfunction...

Sildenafil induces powerful cardioprotection against ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury. Since adenosine is known to be a major trigger of ischemic preconditioning, we hypothesized that A(1) adenosine receptor (A(1)AR) activation plays a role in sildenafil-induced cardioprotective signaling. Adult male C57BL wild-type (WT) mice or their corresponding A(1)AR knockout (A(1)AR-KO) mice were treated...

Sildenafil is the first phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitor used for the treatment of erectile dysfunction. However, recent studies have been suggesting an antitumor effect of sildenafil. The current study assessed the aforementioned activity of sildenafil in vivo and in vitro in solid-tumor-bearing mice and in a human cell line MCF-7, respectively. Moreover, we investigated the impact of sildenafil ...

OBJECTIVES The purpose of our study was to characterize the hemodynamic and corresponding pharmacokinetic responses to a single dose of oral sildenafil by children with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) undergoing invasive testing. BACKGROUND Although used frequently for the treatment of children with PAH, data regarding the acute responses to sildenafil are limited. METHODS Thirty-six ...

The recruitment of bone marrow (BM)-derived progenitor cells to the lung is related to pulmonary remodelling and the pathogenesis of pulmonary hypertension (PH). Although sildenafil is a known target in PH treatment, the underlying molecular mechanism is still elusive. To test the hypothesis that the therapeutic effect of sildenafil is linked to the reduced recruitment of BM-derived progenitor ...

Phosphodiesterase 5 (PDE5) is associated with migraine pathophysiology, stroke recovery and vasospasm treatment. The potential vascular interplay of PDE5 inhibitors sildenafil, tadalafil and UK-114,542 was studied by intra- versus extra-luminal administration in rat middle cerebral arteries in vitro and on middle meningeal arteries in vivo. By Western blot PDE5 was detected in both cerebral and...

Sildenafil (Viagra), a selective inhibitor of phosphodiesterase 5 (PDE5), induces headache and migraine. Although previously supposed to be a "vascular" headache, no significant cerebral artery dilatation was found in vivo. Thus, we hypothesised that PDE5 may not be present or that sildenafil is less effective on the cGMP hydrolysis in cerebral arteries, and that sildenafil may not be an effect...