Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2011 Winter;16(4):e30-5.

Emerging new uses of phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors in cardiovascular diseases

Rakesh C Kukreja  1 , Fadi N Salloum, Anindita Das, Saisudha Koka, Ramzi A Ockaili, Lei Xi
Affiliations

Emerging new uses of phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors in cardiovascular diseases

Rakesh C Kukreja et al. Exp Clin Cardiol. 2011 Winter.

Abstract

Phosphodiesterase type-5 (PDE-5) is an enzyme that catalyzes the hydrolytic degradation of cyclic GMP - an essential intracellular second messenger that modulates diverse biological processes in living cells. Three selective inhibitors of PDE-5 - sildenafil, vardenafil and tadalafil - have been successfully used by millions of men worldwide for the treatment of erectile dysfunction. Also, sildenafil and tadalafil are currently approved for the treatment of pulmonary hypertension. Recent powerful basic science data and clinical studies suggest potential nonurological applications of PDE-5 inhibitors, including ischemia/reperfusion injury, myocardial infarction, cardiac hypertrophy, cardiomyopathy, heart failure, stroke, neurodegenerative diseases and other circulatory disorders including Raynaud's phenomenon. Future carefully controlled clinical trials would hopefully expedite their expanding therapeutic use in patients with cardiovascular disease.

Keywords: Cardiovascular disease; Ischemia/reperfusion injury; Phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1)
Figure 1)
Illustrative summary of nonurological applications of phosphodiesterase (PDE)-5 inhibitors
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Beavo JA. Cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterases: Functional implications of multiple isoforms. Physiol Rev. 1995;75:725–48. - PubMed
    1. Bender AT, Beavo JA. Cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterases: Molecular regulation to clinical use. Pharmacol Rev. 2006;58:488–520. - PubMed
    1. Corbin JD, Francis SH, Webb DJ. Phosphodiesterase type 5 as a pharmacologic target in erectile dysfunction. Urology. 2002;60:4–11. - PubMed
    1. Corbin JD, Francis SH. Pharmacology of phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors. Int J Clin Pract. 2002;56:453–9. - PubMed
    1. Wallis RM, Corbin JD, Francis SH, Ellis P. Tissue distribution of phosphodiesterase families and the effects of sildenafil on tissue cyclic nucleotides, platelet function, and the contractile responses of trabeculae carneae and aortic rings in vitro. Am J Cardiol. 1999;83:3C–12C. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources