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Updated: Mar 26, 2026
Isolation of Adipose Derived Regenerative Cells for the Treatment of Erectile Dysfunction Following Radical Prostatectomy
Published on: December 28, 2021
[Effects of autologous adipose-derived stromal vascular fraction on erectile dysfunction of hypertensive rats]
1Department of Urology, Nanjing First Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 210006, China.
Objective:
To study the effect of autologous adipose stromal vascular fraction (SVF) injection into corpora cavernosa on the hypertension-associated erectile dysfunction (ED) in rats and its possible mechanism.
Methods:
Healthy male spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) at 30-week (n=40) and homologous rats with normal blood pressure (WKY) (n=20) were selected. Noninvasive blood pressure meter was used to measure the systolic blood pressure (SBP) at the tail. Cervical subcutaneous injection of apomorphine was applied to test penile erectile function. The rats with ED were divided into hypertension-associated ED rats treated with autologous SVF injection into corpora cavernosa (ED-SHR-SVF group) (n=8) and hypertension-associated ED rats treated with phosphate buffered saline (PBS) injection into corpora cavernosa (ED-SHR-PBS group) (n=8). The intracavernosal pressure (ICP) was measured in each group. Western blot and RT-PCR were conducted to test protein and mRNA expressions of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) in corpora cavernosa.
Results:
The tail SBP in SHR rats was significantly higher than that in WKY rats ((197.47±6.82) mmHg vs (125.23±4.65) mmHg, P<0.05). The erectile rate in SHR rats was 60% (24/40), and that in WKY rats was 100% (20/20). After 5 V electrical stimulation, the ICP in the ED-SHR-SVF group was significantly higher than in the ED-SHR-PBS group ((83.42±3.21) mmHg vs (52.37±3.11) mmHg, P<0.05). The protein and mRNA expressions of eNOS in the ED-SHR-SVF group were significantly higher than in the ED-SHR-PBS group (0.43±0.03 vs 0.18±0.05, 0.92±0.05 vs 0.41±0.06, both P<0.05).
Conclusions:
High blood pressure can cause ED in rats, which could be mitigated by autologous SVF injection. The mechanism may be related to up-regulation of eNOS expression in corpus cavernosa.
