NEW YORK, Sept. 17 (UPI) –– U.S. scientists say they're using nanotechnology to create a topical
treatment for erectile dysfunction, thereby avoiding side effects associated with drugs.
Researchers at Yeshiva University's Albert Einstein College of
Medicine say the delivery system that uses nanoparticles encapsulating
nitric oxide or prescription drugs has been successfully tested on a
small number of animals.
If the study's results can be replicated in humans, the scientists
said it would mean safer and more effective ED therapy for millions of
men with
heart disease and other health problems affecting erectile function.
The drug-delivery system developed by Einstein scientists consists
of nanoparticles that can carry tiny payloads of various drugs or other
medically useful substances and release them in a controlled and
sustained manner.
"Most of the animals, nearly 90 percent, showed a response to treatment with the nanoparticles," said Professor
Joel Friedman, who developed the nanoparticles with his son, Dr. Adam Friedman.
"The response time to the nanoparticles was very short, just a few
minutes, which is basically what people want in an ED medication,"
added Associate Professor Kelvin Davies, the study's senior author. "In
both rats and humans, it can take 30 minutes to one hour for oral ED
medications to take effect."