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Updated: Sep 28, 2026

Measurement of Cyclic Guanosine Monophosphate (cGMP) in Solid Tissues using Competitive Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA)
Published on: July 3, 2025
YC-1 potentiates the nitric oxide/cyclic GMP pathway in corpus cavernosum and facilitates penile erection in rats
Gin C Hsieh1, Alyssa B O'Neill, Robert B Moreland
1Neuroscience Research, Global Pharmaceutical Research and Development, Abbott Laboratories, 100 Abbott Park Road, Abbott Park, IL 60064-6119, USA. gin.c.hsieh@abbott.com
Abstract:
The aim of present study was to characterize the in vitro and in vivo pharmacological effects of YC-1 (3-(5'-hydroxymethyl-2'-furyl)-1-benzyl indazole), a soluble guanylate cyclase activator, on corpus cavernosal smooth muscle and penile erectile activity. YC-1 relaxed phenylephrine precontracted cavernosal smooth muscle (EC(50)=4.4 microM) and this effect was partially antagonized by 1H-[1,2,4]oxadiazole [4,3-a]quinoxalin-1-one (ODQ). ODQ is a selective soluble guanylate cyclase inhibitor that completely blocked the relaxation induced by sodium nitroprusside, suggesting that YC-1 binds to soluble guanylate cyclase at a different site from nitric oxide (NO). Both YC-1 and sodium nitroprusside, but not sildenafil (1-100 microM) caused concentration-dependent increases in cyclic GMP levels in cultured rabbit cavernosal smooth muscle cells and produced synergistic effects. Intraperitoneal administration of YC-1 (10 micromol/kg) evoked penile erection in rats with 70% incidence. More importantly, YC-1 was able to significantly augment the pro-erectile effects of a suboptimal dose of apomorphine. These results suggest that the soluble guanylate cyclase activator YC-1 increases cyclic GMP levels, leading to relaxation of cavernosal smooth muscle. These biochemical events may be related to the pro-erectile properties of YC-1 in vivo.
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