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Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is a common inherited degenerative retinal disease that has many causes including mutations in the genes coding for cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) phosphodiesterase 6 (PDE6). Sildenafil (Viagra; Pfizer Pharmaceuticals, New York, NY), a widely used medication for erectile dysfunction, is a specific inhibitor of PDE, with the potential to affect PDE6 in the retina. The purpose of this study was to investigate the retinal effects of sildenafil on knockout mice heterozygous for a mutation causing absence of the gamma subunit of rod PDE6 (PDEG:(tm1)/+).
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