Objectives : These present study was designed to investigate the relaxation effects of Alpiniae Oxyphyllae Fructus(AOF) on isolated corpus cavernosum smooth muscle. Methods : Rabbit corpus cavernous tissues were prepared in strip. Then relaxation responses of AOF at 0.01-3 ㎎/㎖ in contracted strips induced by phenylephrine(PE) were measured. To evaluate mechanisms, indomethacin(IM) tetraethylammonium chloride(TEA), Nω -nitro-L-arginine(L-NNA), methylene blue(MB) were treated before AOF

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... 1-3 ㎎/㎖) infused into precontracted strips induced by PE. And 1 mM Ca 2+ was infused into precontracted strips after pretreatment of AOF extract(3 ㎎/㎖) in Ca 2+ -free krebs-ringer solution. NO concentration was measured by Griess reagent system. Ratio of smooth muscles to collagen fibers and eNOS positive reaction were measured by histocheminal and immunohistochemical process. Results : The cavernous strips were significantly relaxed by AOF extract 0.1, 0.3, 1, 3 ㎎/㎖ and the pretreatment with IM 10 µM, L-NNA 100 µM, MB 10 µM inhibited relaxation of AOF compared to non-pretreatment, but the pretreatment with TEA 100 µM didn't affect relaxation of AOF. In a Ca 2+ -free solution, pretreatment with AOF reduced increase on contraction of strips by Ca 2+ supply than non-pretreatment. On HUVEC, NO concentration was increased. On corpus cavernosum of penis in Spontaneous Hypertensive Rat, ratio of smooth muscles to collagen fibers and eNOS positive reaction in AOF group were increased compared to PE group Conclusions : Taken this results, we can suggest that AOF extract exerts a relaxation effects on rabbit corpus cavernosum smooth muscle in part by suppressing influx of extracellular Ca 2+ throughout prostacyclin, the NO-cGMP system.