Implantation of Skin-Derived Precursors Derived Schwann Cells Improves Erectile Function in a Bilateral Cavernous Nerve Injury Rat Model

Abstract

Objectives: In this study, we used skin-derived precursors derived Schwann cells (SKP-SCs) as a treatment to alleviate the erectile dysfunction resulting from bilateral cavernous nerve injury (BCNI) in rat models. And the effect was evaluated 2 weeks after treatment. Materials and Methods: SKP-SCs and primary Schwann cells(SCs) were extracted and incubated from 4-week-old male Sprague Dawley(SD) rats. The cells were used to co-culture with PC12 cells for measurement of neurites growth. Conditional medium of them was used for chemotaxis of M0 macrophages and ELISA assays. 24 male SD rats (10-week old) were randomly divided into 4 groups (n=6). One group was sham group and the other 3 groups underwent BCNI. The groups undergoing BCNI were treated with PBS, SKP-SCs, primary SCs respectively. We evaluated the therapeutic effects on BCNI rats by measuring the erectile function, histologic analysis and western blotting of penis and MPG tissues. Results: Treatment with SKP-SCs significantly restored the erectile function, accelerated the recovery of endothelial and smooth muscle tissues in the penis and promoted the nerve repair process. Expression of p-smad2 and p-smad3 decreased after treatment, indicating fibrosis in the corpus cavernosum was significantly blocked. Conclusion: Implantation of SKP-SCs is an effective and promising therapy for erectile dysfunction induced by BCNI. Funding Statement: Support of research grants from National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 81971378) and Science and Technology Program of Guangzhou (No. 201903010027). Declaration of Interests: We claim that no support or financial relationships have been received from any organization that may have an interest in the submitted work, and there are no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work. Ethics Approval Statement: The present study has been reviewed and permitted by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Subcommittee of the Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University.