Alternative to Viagra: the new drug ABT-724 that acts directly on the brain cells and not on the blood vessels in the penis. It is possible that the drug will also be effective in treating women's sexual dysfunction, but in the meantime the only beneficiaries are the laboratory rats
Michael Rosenberg
(Published in "Globes" on May 31 - June 1 and published on the Hidan website with the permission of the author)
In the news for those suffering from the side effects of the famous blue drug, the "Abbott" laboratories in Illinois have developed a new drug for those suffering from impotence. The results of the research carried out in laboratory rats were recently published in the British magazine "New Scientist". The new drug ABT-724 caused a rapid erection among the rats treated with it, it acts directly on the brain cells unlike the Sildelfil (or by its trade name - Viagra) which targets the blood vessels in the male genital organ. The new drug targets specific nerve cells in the brain that stimulate blood flow to the male penis. This fact has a fascinating implication as it is possible that the drug will also be effective regarding problems with women's sexual function. Sexual dysfunction among women is a rather complex field and the research on the subject is still in its infancy, in recent years there has been a revival, and the research in the field is expanding.
Surveys have shown that about half of men aged 40 and over suffer from erectile problems, but only in the last 15 years have the physical processes related to the subject begun to be revealed to scientific research. Erectile problems can be divided into two types: organic circulatory problems such as those caused by diabetes, and psychological problems. The most effective test for diagnosing erectile problems is the "sleep erection" that appears in every healthy man during "dream sleep" (REM). Dream sleep is the last stage of each sleep cycle that occurs about three to five times a night. The last dream sleep occurs close to waking up, this is the reason for the "morning erection", if no erection occurs during the dream sleep, it can be concluded that the problem is organic and not psychological.
The pioneer of the study of the erection process was none other than Leonardo da Vinci, a Renaissance man who, among other things, was involved in pathology (autopsies) for the purpose of his artistic work. Da Vinci was the first western scientist to diagnose the erection as a process of blood flow and accumulation in the penis. Due to phenomena he observed such as sleep erection and suffocation erection (which he discovered among surgical patients who were executed by hanging), he came to the conclusion that "the phallus has its own will and does not obey the voice of its master". The latest research on the subject indicates that even if the phallus does not have a "personality" of its own, the erection process is extremely complex and involves a number of independent nervous systems and voluntary mechanisms alongside involuntary mechanisms.
In our nervous system there are two autonomous systems that activate involuntary actions in the body: the sympathetic system and the parasympathetic system. It was discovered that the nervous system that activates the erection is the parasympathetic, the one responsible precisely for the involuntary actions in states of relaxation such as the activation of the digestive system. In order to have an erection, it is necessary to calm down and relax the body, this is why overexcitement or stress prevents an erection. It so happens that impotence is often a self-reinforcing phenomenon - the pressure that an erection will not occur prevents its occurrence. The connection between the parasympathetic system and erection surprised the researchers, since it was customary to see erection as an active process of conquest and control and not necessarily of indifference and relaxation. The sympathetic system, which is responsible for involuntary actions in situations that require arousal, comes into action only in the last stage of erection, it is the one that activates the male orgasm and ejaculation through the contractions of the testicles and penis that cause the flow to spray.
In 1987, a short article was published in the journal "Nature" that heralded a revolutionary discovery - a toxic and unstable gaseous substance called nitrogen monoxide (NO), serves as a nerve messenger (neurotransmitter) that encourages the production of a substance that relaxes involuntary muscles such as those found in the walls of blood arteries . This discovery led after about ten years of research to the development of "Viagra", since the relaxation of blood vessels leading to the penis is the condition for the increased blood flow of the erection process. Viagra was first distributed in 1998, its action inhibits the breakdown of the substance that relaxes the blood vessels in the penis and thus by dilating them enables the erection. Viagra's action is targeted at the blood vessels in the penis but also affects other blood vessels, changes in the diameter of the blood vessels in the brain sometimes cause side effects such as headaches and blurred vision. In addition - using Viagra alongside other drugs that release nitrogen monoxide such as nitroglycerin (for the treatment of coronary heart disease) may be fatal.
Therefore, the research turned to the development of a drug that would act on the parasympathetic system in the brain. In fact, at the same time as the development of Viagra, another drug called apomorphine was developed that directly targets the brain centers that activate the erection. The action of apomorphine mimics a neurotransmitter called dopamine which, among other effects, induces an erection. Since apomorphine activated a large number of dopamine receptors, its treatment was accompanied by side effects such as nausea and vomiting, so it was not approved for use by the FDA (the American Food and Drug Administration) and its use was limited in Europe. ABT-724 is a selective version of apomorphine that stimulates blood flow to the penis without the side effects. "It is possible to conclude from experiments on animals about the phenomenon of vomiting but not about the nausea and dizziness, we are all anxiously waiting for the results of the clinical research in humans which are the condition for the approval of the drug for marketing" responded Dr. Ofer Shenfeld from the Department of Urology at Hadassah Ein-Karem. The researchers assume that a combination of the new drug with a low dose of Viagra may be particularly effective. The next step in the treatment of the problem facing development is the use of genetic engineering techniques to transplant genes into the cells of the aging penis that encourage the return of "young" properties to the penile tissue.
