Department of Urology, Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Korea.
Tissue Eng Part A. 2013 Jan;19(1-2):14-23. doi: 10.1089/ten.TEA.2011.0654. Epub 2012 Sep 4.
Postprostatectomy erectile dysfunction (ED) is the major problem for patients with clinically localized prostate cancer. Recently, gene and stem cell-based therapy of the corpus cavernosum has been attempted for postprostatectomy ED, but those therapies are limited by rapid blood flow and disruption of the normal architecture of the corpus cavernosum. In this study, we attempted to regenerate the damaged cavernous nerve (CN), which is the main cause of ED. We investigated the effectiveness of human adipose-derived stem cell (hADSC) and nerve growth factor-incorporated hyaluronic acid-based hydrogel (NGF-hydrogel) application on the CN in a rat model of bilateral cavernous nerve crush injury. Four weeks after the operation, erectile function was assessed by detecting the intracavernous pressure (ICP)/arterial pressure level by CN electrostimulation. The ICP was significantly increased by application of hADSC with NGF-hydrogel compared to the other experimental groups. CN and penile tissue were collected for histological examination. PKH-26 labeled hADSC colocalized with beta III tubulin were shown in CN tissue sections. hADSC/NGF-hydrogel treatment prevented smooth muscle atrophy in the corpus cavernosum. In addition, the hADSC/NGF-hydrogel group showed increased endothelial nitric oxide synthase protein expression. This study suggests that application of hADSCs with NGF-hydrogel on the CN might be a promising treatment for postprostatectomy ED.
前列腺切除术后勃起功能障碍（ED）是患有局限性前列腺癌患者的主要问题。最近，已经尝试对前列腺切除术后 ED 进行基于基因和干细胞的海绵体治疗，但这些治疗方法受到血流迅速和海绵体正常结构破坏的限制。在这项研究中，我们试图再生受损的海绵体神经（CN），这是 ED 的主要原因。我们研究了人脂肪来源干细胞（hADSC）和神经生长因子结合透明质酸水凝胶（NGF-水凝胶）在双侧海绵体神经挤压损伤大鼠模型中对 CN 的应用效果。手术后 4 周，通过 CN 电刺激检测海绵体内压（ICP）/动脉压水平来评估勃起功能。与其他实验组相比，应用含 NGF-水凝胶的 hADSC 可显著增加 ICP。收集 CN 和阴茎组织进行组织学检查。PKH-26 标记的 hADSC 与 CN 组织切片中的β III 微管蛋白共定位。hADSC/NGF-水凝胶治疗可防止海绵体平滑肌萎缩。此外，hADSC/NGF-水凝胶组表现出内皮型一氧化氮合酶蛋白表达增加。这项研究表明，将含 NGF-水凝胶的 hADSC 应用于 CN 可能是治疗前列腺切除术后 ED 的一种有前途的方法。
