The nonadrenergic noncholinergic-mediated relaxation of corpus cavernosum was impaired in chronic lithium-treated rats: Improvement with l-arginine

Abstract One-third of lithium-treated men complain from sexual dysfunction, although the exact mechanisms of which are not yet known. In this study we investigated the effect of chronic lithium (LiCl, 600 mg/l for 30 days) administration on the neurogenic relaxation of isolated rat corpus cavernosum. The corporal strips were precontracted with phenylephrine and electrical field stimulation (EFS) was applied to obtain relaxation. Relaxation to EFS was significantly ( P N ω -nitro- l -arginine methyl ester ( l -NAME; 100 µM) inhibited the relaxation to EFS in both LiCl-treated and control rats. The NO precursor l -arginine, at per se noneffective concentration (0.1 mM), significantly ( P l -arginine.