[Endothelial cell apoptosis in erectile dysfunction].

Erectile dysfunction (ED) is one of the most common male diseases, which seriously affects the patient's quality of life. The risk factors of ED include aging, diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and unhealthy lifestyle, and its exact mechanism remains unclear. The apoptosis of endothelial cells in the corpus cavernosum penis may reduce NOS activity, block NO synthesis, and affect penile erection, and the mechanisms of their apoptosis vary with different causes of ED. This article updates the relationship between the apoptosis of endothelial cells and the development of ED.