1. ¹Cardiovascular Research Unit, Cardiovascular Institute, Hospital Clínico San Carlos, Madrid, Spain
2. ²Urology Department, Fundación Jiménez Diaz, Madrid, Spain

Correspondence: Dr AJ López-Farré, Cardiovascular Research Unit, 7a Norte, Hospital Clínico San Carlos, Profesor Martín Lagos s/n, Madrid 28040, Spain. E-mail: lcarinv.hcsc@salud.madrid.org

Received 26 July 2005; Revised 5 January 2006; Accepted 23 January 2006; Published online 9 March 2006.

Abstract

The aim was to determine in circulating mononuclear cells from patients with erectile dysfunction (ED), the level of expression of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS), soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC) ₁-subunit and phosphodiesterase type-V (PDE-V). Peripheral mononuclear cells from nine patients with ED of vascular origin and nine patients with ED of neurological origin were obtained. Fourteen age-matched volunteers with normal erectile function were used as control. Reduction in eNOS protein was observed in the mononuclear cells from patients with ED of vascular origin but not in those from neurological origin. Although sGC ₁-subunit expression was increased in mononuclear cells from patients with ED, the sGC activity was reduced. However, only the patients with ED of vascular origin showed an increased expression of PDE-V. This work shows for the first time that, independently of the aetiology of ED, the expression of sGC ₁-subunit was increased in circulating mononuclear cells; however, the expression of both eNOS and PDE-V was only modified in the circulating mononuclear cells from patients with ED of vascular origin.