Glyceryl trinitrate

Glyceryl trinitrate (GTN) is the pharmaceutical name for nitroglycerin. GTN is a vasodilator which is used in the treatment and prophylaxis of angina. Intravenous infusion can also be used to treat pulmonary edema.

The origins of the medical use (possibly apocryphal) stem from some workers at Alfred Nobel's nitroglycerin factory finding that their angina improved while they were inhaling airborne nitroglycerin.

British researchers are working on a GTN-impregnated condom that boosts the male erection and thus prevents the sheath from slipping off during sexual intercourse. The new product, named CSD500, is impregnated with GTN which is absorbed through the skin into the muscle tissue and causes the blood vessels in the penis to dilate.