Foul rotten egg smell may work as Viagra
POSTED March 4, 2009 - 12:53 | POSTED BY Pragati Khond
Last edited by Shikha Patial on March 4, 2009 - 13:22
Naples, March 4: The disgusting rotten egg smell is found to arouse men sexually and researchers say that it could possibly help develop an alternative and competent drug to Viagra.
Recent study by Italian researchers unveiled that hydrogen sulphide, the gas arising from rotten eggs, prompts arousal in men and is a vital key to erectile dysfunction.
Professor Giuseppe Cirino, a researcher from the University of Naples Federico II, said, "The hydrogen sulphide pathway represents a new therapeutic target for erectile dysfunction and it should be possible in future to deliver drugs that either deliver hydrogen sulphide or that control the hydrogen sulphide production."
Researchers concentrated on discarded penile tissues obtained from male-to-female sex-transformation surgeries. They found that hydrogen sulphide is released in small amounts by penile nerve cells that causes erection of the male sex organ.
Hydrogen sulphide (H2S) is usually produced by rotting eggs and exhaust pipes of cars with catalytic converters. However, researchers feel that this study may give altogether a new dimension to the stinking gas.
"This may help to unravel the complex mechanisms underlying the physiology of human penile erection and may lead to the development of therapeutic approaches in the treatment of erectile dysfunction and sexual arousal disorders," quoted Prof. Cirino.
Study suggests that this gas encourages relaxation of the tissues around blood vessels which results in an increased blood flow to the penis, assisting in erection and sustaining it further. Nitric oxide, when tested, also showed similar kind of results in this study, which is published in the journal 'Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences'.
The role of Viagra is to aid in erection by stimulating blood supply to the penis. Prof. Cirino belives that almost one-third of men who usually do not repond to potency drugs may benefit from hydrogen sulphide.
Jim Cummings, an urologist not involved in the study, commented: "This is a completely different pathway. If it were to work out in humans, it would be a way to help out people that aren’t responding to Viagra and drugs like it."
