Androgens and penile erection: evidence for a direct relationship between free testosterone and cavernous vasodilation in men with erectile dysfunction

Abstract

These results indicate that in men with erectile dysfunction low free testosterone may correlate independently of age with the impaired relaxation of cavernous endothelial and corporeal smooth muscle cells to a vasoactive challenge. These findings give clinical support to the experimental knowledge of the importance of androgens in regulating smooth muscle function in the penis.