A Review on Phosphodiesterase-5 Inhibitors as a Topical Therapy for Erectile Dysfunction.

INTRODUCTION: Due to the prevalence of erectile dysfunction and impotence among men in recent years, several pharmacotherapies have been considered for such problems. Systemic drug therapies in the treatment of erectile dysfunction have significant issues, including drug interactions and contraindications in a wide range of diseases, which makes researchers seek to design drugs and dosage forms with fewer side effects, interactions, and contraindications with maintained efficacy. OBJECTIVES: 5-Phosphodiesterase inhibitors (5-PDEIs or PDE5Is), previously used systemically to treat erectile malfunction, are now appropriate candidates for topical application with considerable potency and fewer complications. METHODS: We sought to investigate the recent findings on the current subject in order to provide a comprehensive overview of the issue using an extensive literature search to pinpoint the latest scientific reports on this subject. RESULTS: In the present review, the function of 5-Phosphodiesterase inhibitors as topical formulations was evaluated with details including formulation type, adsorption, and comparative efficacy in all recent studies as an acceptable alternative therapy to systemic drugs. CONCLUSIONS: Due to the fact that the influential factors in erectile dysfunction interact with many diseases and delinquent treatments, the use of topical therapeutic agents can be promising in mild to moderate cases. The utilization of 5-PDEIs through novel topical and transdermal drug delivery techniques plays a vital role in improving this effectiveness. Hamzehnejadi M, Tavakoli MR, Abiri A, et al. A Review on Phosphodiesterase-5 Inhibitors as a Topical Therapy for Erectile Dysfunction. Sex Med Rev 2022;10:369-384.

A review on function and side effects of systemic corticosteroids used in high-grade COVID-19 to prevent cytokine storms.

In December 2019, a cluster of pneumonia caused by a novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV), officially known as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), emerged in Wuhan, Hubei province, China. Cytokine storm is an uncontrolled systemic inflammatory response resulting from the release of large amounts of pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines that occurs at phase 3 of viral infection. Such emergence led to the development of many clinical trials to discover efficient drugs and therapeutic protocols to fight with this single-stranded RNA virus. Corticosteroids suppress inflammation of the lungs during the cytokine storm, weaken immune responses, and inhibit the elimination of pathogen. For this reason, in COVID-19 corticosteroid therapy, systemic inhibition of inflammation is observed with a wide range of side effects. The present review discusses the effectiveness of the corticosteroid application in COVID-19 infection and the related side effects of these agents. In summary, a number of corticosteroids, including and especially methylprednisolone and dexamethasone, have demonstrated remarkable efficacy, particularly for COVID-19 patients who underwent mechanical ventilation.