What Does Phosphodiesterase Do?

Phosphodiesterases (PDEs) are enzymes that regulate the intracellular levels of cyclic adenosine monophosphate and cyclic guanosine monophosphate, and, consequently, exhibit a central role in multiple cellular functions.

What does phosphodiesterase do in the heart?

In patients with heart failure, inhibitors of enzymes in the PDE3 family of cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterases are used to raise intracellular cAMP content in cardiac muscle, with inotropic actions.

How do phosphodiesterase inhibitors act?

Mechanism of Action

[16][17][18] Phosphodiesterase inhibitors exert their effects on their targeted phosphodiesterase enzymes(PDE-3, PDE-4, PDE-5), preventing cGMP or cAMP degradation, further increasing their levels in smooth muscle cells, causing relaxation and vasodilatory effect in target cells.