Direct Effects of Vardenafil on the Ureter: In Vitro Investigation and Potential Clinical Applications of Intralumenal Administration

Abstract

Local intralumenal administration of substances with beneficial effects over the ureter appears to be a very attractive route for the administration of drugs to the urinary system, avoiding systemic adverse reactions associated with per os administration. This work investigates whether vardenafil is a good candidate for local intralumenal ureteral administration. More precisely, we examined the effect of vardenafil on human ureter contractility and on the viability of cultured human urothelial cells (hUC) and bladder smooth muscle cells (hBSMC). Our study revealed that vardenafil induced a dose-depended relaxation of isolated human ureteral tissue. In addition, growth and cell viability of cultured hBSMC and hUC remained unaltered after vardenafil application. Based on the above, this selective phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitor can be considered as a promising pharmacologic agent for local intralumenal administration in clinical conditions in which ureteral dilation might be beneficial.