Adipose Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells-Derived Mitochondria Transplantation Ameliorated Erectile Dysfunction Induced by Cavernous Nerve Injury

Caveolin-1 scaffolding domain-derived peptide enhances erectile function by regulating oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, and apoptosis of corpus cavernosum smooth muscle cells in rats with cavernous nerve injury

AIM

Increased corpus cavernosum smooth muscle cells (CCSMCs) apoptosis in the penis due to cavernous nerve injury (CNI) is a crucial contributor to erectile dysfunction (ED). Caveolin-1 scaffolding domain (CSD)-derived peptide has been found to exert potential antiapoptotic properties. However, whether CSD peptide can alleviate CCSMCs apoptosis and ED in CNI rats remains unknown. The study aimed to determine whether CSD peptide can improve bilateral CNI-induced ED (BCNI-ED) by enhancing the antiapoptotic processes of CCSMCs.

MAIN METHODS

Fifteen 10-week-old male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomly classified into three groups: sham surgery (Sham) group and BCNI groups that underwent saline or CSD peptide treatment respectively. At 3 weeks postoperatively, erectile function was assessed and the penis tissue was histologically examined. Furthermore, an in vitro model of CCSMCs apoptosis was established using transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-β1) to investigate the mechanism of CSD peptide in treating BCNI-ED.

KEY FINDINGS

In BCNI rats, CSD peptide significantly prevented ED and decreased oxidative stress, the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio, and the levels of caspase3. TGF-β1-treated CCSMCs exhibited severe oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, and apoptosis. However, CSD peptide partially reversed these alterations.

SIGNIFICANCE

Exogenous CSD peptide could improve BCNI-ED by inhibiting oxidative stress, the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio, and caspase3 expression in penile tissue. The underlying mechanism might involve the regulatory effects of CSD peptide on oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, and apoptosis of CCSMCs following CNI. This study highlights CSD peptide as an effective therapy for post-radical prostatectomy ED (pRP-ED).

Efficacy of adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cell therapy in the treatment of chronic micro- and macrovascular complications of diabetes

Diabetes mellitus is a highly prevalent disease characterized by hyperglycaemia that damages the vascular system, leading to micro- (retinopathy, neuropathy, nephropathy) and macrovascular diseases (cardiovascular disease). There are also secondary complications of diabetes (cardiomyopathy, erectile dysfunction or diabetic foot ulcers). Stem cell-based therapies have become a promising tool targeting diabetes symptoms and its chronic complications. Among all stem cells, adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ADMSCs) are of great importance because of their abundance, non-invasive isolation and no ethical limitations. Characteristics that make ADMSCs good candidates for cell-based therapy are their wide immunomodulatory properties and paracrine activities through the secretion of an array of growth factors, chemokines, cytokines, angiogenic factors and anti-apoptotic molecules. Besides, after transplantation, ADMSCs show great ex vivo expansion capacity and differentiation to other cell types, including insulin-producing cells, cardiomyocytes, chondrocytes, hepatocyte-like cells, neurons, endothelial cells, photoreceptor-like cells, or astrocytes. Preclinical studies have shown that ADMSC-based therapy effectively improved visual acuity, ameliorated polyneuropathy and foot ulceration, arrested the development and progression of diabetic kidney disease, or alleviated the diabetes-induced cardiomyocyte hypertrophy. However, despite the positive results obtained in animal models, there are still several challenges that need to be overcome before the results of preclinical studies can be translated into clinical applications. To date, there are several clinical trials or ongoing trials using ADMSCs in the treatment of diabetic complications, most of them in the treatment of diabetic foot ulcers. This narrative review summarizes the most recent outcomes on the usage of ADMSCs in the treatment of long-term complications of diabetes in both animal models and clinical trials.