Cardiovascular disorders, diabetes, hormonal imbalances, neurological disorders, side effects of a medication, the simple fact of aging … All these factors contribute to triggering erectile dysfunction, a problem that affects half of the male population over sixty years of age and that begins to show his ugly face after thirty .
Launched in 1998, Viagra – whose active ingredient is sildenafil citrate – was hailed as the definitive antidote to impotence, but in reality it only acts as an erection “extender .” If there is no prior physical arousal, nothing can do the famous pill.
To solve this previous problem, a group of researchers led by Martin Fussenegger, professor of Biotechnology and Bioengineering at the Department of Biosystems in Basel (Switzerland), has presented a novel bioluminic therapy .
Fussenegger’s team injected a genetic modification into the erectile tissue of male mice, which began to react to blue light as follows: A precursor molecule called guanosine triphosphate was converted into another biochemical messenger, cyclic guanosine monophosphate, which has the effect to close the calcium channels in the tissue .
This relaxed the muscle cells and increased the flow of blood in the penis; in short, it produced the rigidity of the virile member. Then an enzyme slowly broke down the guanosine monophosphate and decreased the erection. Precisely, what Viagra does is block this “deflator” enzyme once the excitement has occurred .
The researchers are convinced that the blue light technique will also work in humans, and that the chances of producing side effects are low .
