[Role of ionic channels in the regulation of cavernous smooth muscle tone]

The regulation of vascular and trabecular smooth muscle relaxation or contraction in the penis, that is, the physiology of corporal smooth muscle tone, determines penile erection or flaccidity. There is considerable evidence that the potassium channel and calcium channel, like many other vascular tissues, are the major modulators of smooth muscle tone in the corpora. Moreover, data on cultured corporal smooth muscle cells and isolated corporal tissue strips have demonstrated that the neurotransmitters participating in erection modulate corporal smooth muscle tone largely through their effects on ionic channels and transmembrane ionic flux.