Damage to parts of the penis vital for proper
erections has been repaired for the first time with the help of stem
cells. In rats, the treatment restored full erections, improved blood
flow and accelerated healing.
Ultimately, the researchers hope to treat the 3 to 9 per cent of men who have Peyronie's disease,
which damages the membrane surrounding the chambers within the penis
that swell with blood during arousal. This makes it difficult to
achieve a straight erection.
Wayne Hellstrom
of Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana, and colleagues,
extracted stem cells from fat and placed them onto layers of tissue
taken from the lining of pig intestine. This material, called small
intestinal submucosa (SIS), is already used to replace damaged membrane
in men with Peyronie's disease, but Hellstrom wanted to see whether
adding stem cells would improve healing.
Two
months after therapy, tissue analysis showed less scarring and higher
levels of regenerative agents such as fibroblast growth factor – which
accelerate healing – in rats treated with SIS plus stem cells compared
with those treated with SIS alone. "The stem cells induced factors that
enhanced blood supply, tissue restoration and erectile function," says
Hellstrom.
Production
of enzymes that make a blood vessel relaxant vital for erections was
also higher in rats given the stem cells. Hellstrom hopes to be able to
offer a similar treatment to men.
"The
apparent mechanisms of action are consistent with other clinical
studies showing that fat-derived stem cells are particularly good at
improving blood supply and reducing scarring," says Marc Hedrick of
regenerative medicine firm Cytori in San Diego, California.
Journal reference: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1113810109
http://www.newscientist.com/
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