Potassium Channels and Human Corporeal Smooth Muscle Cell Tone: Diabetes and Relaxation of Human Corpus Cavernosum Smooth Muscle by Adenosine Triphosphate Sensitive Potassium Channel Openers

Abstract

These data indicate that the adenosine triphosphate sensitive K channel subtype is likely to have an important role in the relaxation of isolated corporeal tissue strips and, moreover, they are the molecular target for the K channel modulators/openers levcromakalim and pinacidil. Such observations are consistent with the supposition that alterations in the structure/function/activity of these potassium channels may underlie at least some aspects of observed diabetes related differences in tissue sensitivity to K channel modulators.