The Role of Oxygen Tension in Penile Erection and Its Relationship to Erectile Dysfunction
The corpus cavernosum of the penis is one of the few vascular beds in which there is a change in oxygen tension with function (blood PO2 25-40mm Hg in the flaccid state, and 90-100mm Hg in the erect state).This change in oxygen tension exposes the components of the corpus cavernosum to a variety of cytokines, humoral, vasoactive, and growth factors