title: Periprostatic implantation of neural differentiated mesenchymal stem cells restores cavernous nerve injury-mediated erectile dysfunction.
abstract: Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been utilized to restore erectile function in animal models of cavernous nerve injury (CNI). However, transplantation of primary MSCs may lead to unpredictable therapeutic outcomes. In this study, we investigated the efficiency of neural differentiated MSCs (d-MSCs) on the restoration of erectile function in CNI rats. Rat bone marrow MSCs (r-BM-MSCs) were treated with all-trans retinoic acid to induce neural differentiation. Rats were divided into five groups: a sham operation group; a bilateral CNI group that received an intracavernous injection of r-BM-MSCs (IC group); and three groups that received periprostatic implantation of either r-BM-MSCs (IP group), d-MSCs (IP-d group), or PBS (PBS group). The data revealed that IP injection of d-MSCs ameliorated erectile function in a similar manner to an IC injection of MSCs and enhanced erectile function compared to an IP injection of MSCs. An in vivo time course of d-MSCs survival revealed that PKH26-labled d-MSCs were detectable either within or surrounding the cavernous nerve tissue. In addition, the expression of caspase-3 significantly increased in the PBS group and decreased after treatment with MSCs, especially in the IC and IP-d groups. Furthermore, the expression levels of neurotrophic factors increased significantly in d-MSCs. This study demonstrated that periprostatic implantation of d-MSCs effectively restored erectile function in CNI rats. The mechanism might be ascribed to decreases in the frequency of apoptotic cells, as well as paracrine signaling by factors derived from d-MSCs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University Tianhe Road 600, Guangzhou 510630, China.
authors.forename: Jia-Feng
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Fang
authors.affiliation: Cell-Gene Therapy Translational Medicine Research Center, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University Tianhe Road 600, Guangzhou 510630, China.
authors.forename: Chang-Chang
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Jia
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University Tianhe Road 600, Guangzhou 510630, China.
authors.forename: Zong-Heng
authors.initials: ZH
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University Tianhe Road 600, Guangzhou 510630, China.
authors.forename: Xiao-Long
authors.initials: XL
authors.lastname: Ye
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University Tianhe Road 600, Guangzhou 510630, China.
authors.forename: Bo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University Tianhe Road 600, Guangzhou 510630, China.
authors.forename: Li-Jun
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University Tianhe Road 600, Guangzhou 510630, China.
authors.forename: Hong-Bo
authors.initials: HB
authors.lastname: Wei
keywords: Mesenchymal stem cell; cavernous nerve injury; erectile dysfunction; nerve differentiation; stem cell therapy