The scientists concluded that hydrogen sulfide does likely contribute to erections in men, just as in animal studies. They found the same enzymes that produce hydrogen sulfide in animals were present and functional in human tissue. The researchers say greater understanding of hydrogen sulfide's separate chemical pathway could eventually lead to new. Hydrogen Sulfide for Erectile Dysfunction For the new study, researchers at the University of Naples in Italy studied penile tissue samples obtained from humans. Our bodies also produce tiny quantities of hydrogen sulfide, but the gas was long thought to be only a toxic by-product of metabolism. Chemicals that create these expansions in blood flow are called vasodilators. Viagra slows down a specific enzyme, prolonging nitric oxide's actions. Viagra and other drugs for erectile dysfunction work by boosting the effects of nitric oxide, another vasodilator.

In previous experiments in mice and monkeys, injecting hydrogen sulfide opened blood vessels and improved erections. But the same chemical pathways weren't yet proven to function in people. Hydrogen sulfide is present in raw natural gas and in the odor of rotting eggs. The chemical reactions that produce hydrogen sulfide were generally the same, too.

Blood vessels in the penis expand, and erections result from the increased blood flow.

Research sigismundo this decade revealed that many animals actually use hydrogen sulfide to help expand blood vessels.