Table 1.

Effects of sildenafil on osteopontin gene expression in PBMCs

	ΔCt ± SD	p
PBMCs	5.403 ± 1.518
PBMCs + sildenafil 400 ng/ml	5.379 ± 1.008	NS*
PBMCs + sildenafil 4 µg/ml	5.016 ± 1.456	NS*
PBMCs + PMA + ionomycin	–2.207 ± 0.951
PBMCs + PMA + ionomycin + sildenafil 400 ng/ml	–1.689 ± 0.744	0.06
PBMCs + PMA + ionomycin + sildenafil 4 µg/ml	–1.187 ± 1.267	<0.05**

ΔCt values (mean ± SD) for osteopontin (OPN) in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) determined by RT-PCR after incubation with sildenafil and with and without stimulation with phorbol myristate acetate (PMA) plus ionomycin. Statistically significant differences were considered when p˂0.05 for Student’s t test on 16 PBMCs samples

NS not significant

*PBMCs + sildenafil 400 ng/ml and PBMCs + sildenafil 4 µg/ml vs. PBMCs

**PBMCs + PMA + ionomycin + sildenafil 4 µg/ml vs. PBMCs + PMA + ionomycin