Icariin on relaxation effect of corpus cavernosum smooth muscle

NO-cGMP pathway in penile corpus cavernosal smooth muscle plays an important role in penile erection. The level of cGMP is regulated by a balance between the rate of synthesis by guanylate cyclase and the rate of hydrolytic breakdown to guanosine 5′ monophosphate (GMP) by phosphodiesterase 5(PDE5). Icariin is isolated from natural drug Epimedii herba, it is shown to have the relaxation effect on corpus cavernosal smooth muscle of rabbit (IC50: 4×10⁻⁴ mol/L), and the mechanism of the relaxation effect of Icariin on corpus cavernosum believed to have the inhibiting effect on PDE5 and activation of NO-cGMP pathway to enhancing penile erection.