title: Therapeutic potential of human umbilical cord blood mesenchymal stem cells on erectile function in rats with cavernous nerve injury.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the therapeutic potential of human umbilical cord blood mesenchymal stem cells (hUCBMSCs) on promoting erectile function in a rat model of bilateral cavernous nerve (CN) crush injury.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Fifty male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned to sham + PBS group (n = 10), BCNI (bilateral cavernous nerve crush injury) + PBS group (n = 10), BCNI + hUCBMSCs group (n = 30). At day 28 (n = 10) post-surgery, erectile function was examined and histological specimens were harvested. Compared with BCNI + PBS group, hUCBMSC intracavernous injection treatment significantly increased the mean ratio of ICP/MAP, nNOS-positive nerve fibers in the dorsal penile nerve, smooth muscle content, and smooth muscle to collagen ratio in the corpus cavernousum. Electron microscopy revealed few CN and major pelvic ganglion (MPG) lesions in the BCNI + hUCBMSCs group. Injected hUCBMSCs were localized to the sinusoid endothelium of the penis and MPG on day 1, 3, 7, and 28 post-intracavernous injection.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  hUCBMSCs intracavernous injection treatment improves erectile function by inhibiting corpus cavernosum fibrosis and exerting neuroregenerative effects on cell bodies of injured nerves at MPG in a BCNI rat model.
authors: Department of Urology, Second Hospital of Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin Institute of Urology, Tianjin, 300211, China.
authors: Jian-Qiang
authors: JQ
authors: Zhu
authors: Hong-Kai
authors: HK
authors: Lu
authors: Zhi-Qiang
authors: ZQ
authors: Cui
authors: Yong-Chuan
authors: YC
authors: Wang
authors: Yong-Hui
authors: YH
authors: Li
authors: Weixin
authors: W
authors: Zhao
authors: Qiang
authors: Q
authors: Fu
authors: Yue-Min
authors: YM
authors: Xu
authors: Yong
authors: Y
authors: Xu
authors: Lu-Jie
authors: LJ
authors: Song
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D058948:Cell Tracking; D005312:Fetal Blood / Q000166:cytology*; D008297:Male; D045164:Mesenchymal Stem Cell Transplantation; D059630:Mesenchymal Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology*; D010410:Penile Erection / Q000502:physiology*; D010413:Penis / Q000294:innervation*; D059348:Peripheral Nerve Injuries / Q000601:surgery*; D010525:Peripheral Nerves / Q000502:physiology; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley