Blue light instead of blue pill
Specialists of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich have developed a biotechnological solution to the problem of erectile dysfunction, which is a combination of a gene design and blue light.
Men do not like to talk about erectile dysfunction, but after the age of 30, the frequency of such disorders increases significantly. Over the age of 60, more than half of men suffer from an incomplete erection or from its complete absence. The main causes of this include diseases of the cardiovascular system, diabetes mellitus, hormonal disorders, neurological diseases and side effects of medications.
Some men try to solve the problem with the help of so-called "blue pills". However, Viagra and its analogues contribute to an increase in the duration of an erection, but do not trigger it. In search of a solution to this problem, researchers working under the guidance of Professor Martin Fussenegger have developed a gene therapy approach that allows achieving a stable erection even in the absence of sexual stimulation.
To do this, a genetic construct that reacts to blue light is introduced into the erectile tissue of the penis. Under its action, the precursor molecule (guanosine triphosphate, GTP) is converted into a secondary messenger - cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP), which is part of a number of human organs in its natural state. This ensures the closure of potential-dependent calcium channels, thereby reducing the concentration of calcium ions in the cells, which, in turn, relaxes muscle cells and increases blood flow to the erectile tissue of the penis. As a result, the penis increases in size and hardens. The gradual cleavage of cGMP under the action of the enzyme phosphodiesterase-5 ensures the extinction of an erection. Blocking the activity of this enzyme is the basis for the action of the "blue pills" that prolong the erection.
When a therapeutic gene construct is introduced, cGMP production is stimulated not by sexual arousal, but by exposure to blue light. This makes it possible to dispense with the usual sexual arousal, which triggers an erection-leading cascade of biochemical signals under normal conditions and is useless with erectile dysfunction.
The authors successfully tested the experimental method on male rats. In most cases, after the introduction of the gene construct, exposure to blue light caused the animals to have an erection, while some of them even ejaculated.
The developers believe that the risk of complications when using their proposed approach is minimal. Injections into erectile tissue are a standard approach to the administration of drugs for the treatment of erectile dysfunction. This tissue is weakly sensitive to pain, moreover, most of it is isolated from normal blood flow, which reduces the risk of moving the gene construct through the body to a minimum. Moreover, cGMP is quickly broken down in the body.
However, despite the attractiveness of the new approach, its practical application is still very far away. The developers note the need for carefully planned clinical trials and are currently looking for partners to accelerate this process.
Article by Kim T et al. A synthetic erectile optogenetic stimulator (EROS) enabling blue-light-inducible penile erection is published in the journal Angewandte Chemie International Edition.
Evgeniya Ryabtseva
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru based on the materials of ETH Zurich: From blue pill to blue light.
24.03.2015