Human umbilical cord Wharton's jelly-derived mesenchymal stem cell transplantation could improve diabetic intracavernosal pressure.
- Author:
Jian-Hong WU
1
;
Dong-Ya WANG
2
;
Lu SHENG
2
;
Wei-Qing QIAN
2
;
Shu-Jie XIA
1
;
Qi JIANG
1
Author Information
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords: diabetes; endothelial nitric oxide synthase; erectile dysfunction; mesenchymal stem cells; vascular endothelial growth factor
- MeSH: Animals; Cell Differentiation; Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental/therapy*; Erectile Dysfunction/therapy*; Humans; Male; Mesenchymal Stem Cell Transplantation/methods*; Rats; Umbilical Cord; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A; Wharton Jelly
- From: Asian Journal of Andrology 2022;24(2):171-175
- CountryChina
- Language:English
- Abstract: Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) secrete various cytokines with angiogenic and neuroprotective effects. This study aimed to assess the effects of human umbilical cord Wharton's jelly-derived MSCs (hWJ-MSCs) on diabetes-related intracavernosal pressure (ICP) impairment in rats. hWJ-MSCs were isolated from human umbilical cord Wharton's jelly and transplanted into the corpus cavernosum of streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats by unilateral injection. The erectile function was evaluated at 4 weeks, as well as the expression levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS), and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1). STZ-induced diabetic rats showed impaired ICP, which was significantly improved by hWJ-MSC treatment. VEGF, eNOS, IGF1, and bFGF expression levels were higher in hWJ-MSC injection sites than those in control ones in STZ-induced diabetic rats. These results suggest that hWJ-MSC transplantation might improve diabetic erectile dysfunction through increased production of paracrine growth factors, highlighting a novel potential therapeutic option for erectile dysfunction.
