title: Transplantation of muscle-derived stem cells into the corpus cavernosum restores erectile function in a rat model of cavernous nerve injury.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Muscle-derived stem cells (MDSCs) harvested from skeletal muscles have the advantage of providing easier access and do not pose the immunogenic risks of embryonic stem cells. We investigated the effect of intracavernosal transplantation of MDSCs on erectile function in rats with bilateral cavernous nerve injury.
  
  
  METHODS
  Adult male white rats underwent experimentation in 3 groups: group I, sham operation; group II, bilateral cavernous nerve injury; group III, bilateral cavernous nerve injury with MDSC injection. MDSCs were harvested from the femoral muscle of rats and were then injected into the cavernosum. Survival of MDSCs and measurement of erectile function was studied after 4 weeks. We checked the intracavernosal pressure (ICP) and obtained penile tissue. The expression of cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) was analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Four weeks after transplantation, PKH-26-labeled MDSCs were identified in the cavernosal tissues of group III. Peak ICP and the drop rate of group II were 52±8.7 mmHg and 34±6.5 mmHg/min, respectively, whereas peak ICP and the drop rate of group III were 97±15.6 mmHg and 17±4.9 mmHg/min, respectively, showing that erectile function improved after MDSC transplantation (p<0.05). The expression of cGMP was significantly lower in group II (21.9±5.8 fmol/well) than in group I and group III (70.2±10.3 and 58.9±10.5 fmol/well, respectively).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In a cavernous nerve injury rat model, intracavernosal transplantation of MDSCs showed acceptable survival of MDSCs as well as improvement of erectile function.
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Jang Chun
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Woo
authors.forename: Woong Jin
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Bae
authors.forename: Su Jin
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Sung Dae
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Dong Wan
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Sohn
authors.forename: Sung Hoo
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Hong
authors.forename: Ji Youl
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Tae-Kon
authors.initials: TK
authors.lastname: Hwang
authors.forename: Young Chul
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Sung
authors.forename: Sae Woong
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Kim