Stem cells will help straighten the penis in Peyronie's disease
Peyronie's disease is a disease manifested by fibrous changes in the protein membrane surrounding the cavernous bodies of the penis, the increase of which during arousal is necessary for an erection. This leads to a curvature of the erect penis, which can be accompanied by severe pain up to the impossibility of sexual intercourse.
Researchers from Tulane University, New Orleans, working under the leadership of Wayne Hellstrom, isolated stem cells from adipose tissue and applied them to the surface of the submucosa layer of the pig intestine. This dense fibrous connective tissue is already being used to replace damaged fragments of male penis tissue in the surgical treatment of Peyronie's disease, however, the authors wanted to test whether the results of the procedure could be improved using stem cells.
The resulting tissue structures were implanted in rats during a model operation for bilateral excision of the protein shell of cavernous bodies. The animals of the two control groups underwent submucosal implantation without stem cells and surgery without implantation. Two months after the procedure, the analysis of animal tissues of the experimental group showed less scarring and higher levels of regenerative factors, such as fibroblast growth factor, compared with the tissues of rats that had only fragments of the submucosa implanted.
The application of stem cells to the graft also contributed to an increase in the concentration of the enzyme iNOS (Inductible Nitric Oxide Synthase) involved in the synthesis of nitric oxide, a blood vessel relaxant necessary for erection.
According to experts, the mechanism of action of the developed approach is obvious, since other studies have shown that stem cells isolated from adipose tissue perform especially well in situations where it is necessary to improve blood supply and reduce scarring. Hellstrom hopes that the approach developed by his group will be implemented in clinical practice, which will help improve the effectiveness of treatment of Peyronie's disease.
Article by Limin Ma et al. Adipose tissue-derived stem cell-seeded small intestinal submucosa for tunica albuginea grafting and reconstruction is published in the on-line version of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Evgeniya Ryabtseva
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru based on the materials of New Scientist: Erectile function restored with stem cells.
26.01.2012