March 28, 2009
Scientists say the smell of rotten eggs is arousing for men and could be used to create an alternative to Viagra.
Nerve cells release minute amounts of hydrogen sulphide - the gas which gives rotten eggs their distinctive smell - when a man becomes aroused, causing blood vessels to relax and so fill with blood.
Similar research on another gas, nitric oxide, led to the creation of Viagra, reports the Daily Mail.
Researcher Professor Cirino, of the University of Naples Federico II in Italy, said: "It should be possible in future to develop drugs that either deliver hydrogen sulphide or that control the hydrogen sulphide production.
"Of course, the hydrogen sulphide pathway represents a new therapeutic target for erectile dysfunction.
"These observations may lead to the development of therapeutic approaches in the treatment of erectile dysfunction and sexual arousal disorders."
The results, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, could help the one third of men with erectile dysfunction do not respond to Viagra.
