Editing Normal Erectile Physiology (section)

==== '''<span style="color:#ff0000">Flaccid state''' ====
*'''<span style="color:#ff0000">In contrast to many other smooth muscles, the cavernous smooth muscle and the smooth muscles of the arteriolar and arterial wall are in a contracted state most of the time, allowing only a small amount of arterial flow into the corpora.'''
** '''Maintenance of the intracorporeal smooth muscle in a semicontracted (flaccid) state likely results from 3 factors:'''
**# '''Intrinsic myogenic activity'''
**# '''Adrenergic neurotransmission'''
**# '''Endothelium-derived contracting factors such as angiotensin II, PGF2α, and endothelin-1'''
** Smooth muscle has the ability to maintain tension for prolonged periods with minimal energy expenditure. This efficiency has been termed the latch state and is critical for sustaining the "basal" tone of the smooth muscle.