Intratunical injection of human urine-derived stem cells derived exosomes prevents fibrosis and improves erectile function in a rat model of Peyronie's disease.

Abstract

We aimed to evaluate the effects of intratunical injection of exosomes derived from human urine-derived stem cells (USC-exo) on plaque formation and erectile function in a transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) induced Peyronie's disease (PD) rat model. Twenty-four SD rats were randomly assigned equally to three groups: (I) Sham group (50μl phosphate-buffered saline [PBS] injected into the tunica albuginea [TA]), (II) PD group (0.5μg TGF-β1 in 50μl PBS injected into the TA) and (III) USC-exo group (0.5 ug TGF-β1 plus 100μg USC-exo injected into the TA at the same day). The maximum intracavernous pressure (ICPmax ) and mean arterial pressure (MAP) of each group were evaluated 4weeks after injection. The plaque formation, fibrosis, matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and tissue inhibitor of MMPs (TIMPs) in the TA were evaluated. Four weeks after injection, USC-exo group showed more significantly enhanced ICPmax and ICPmax /MAP than PD group (p<.05). USC-exo could significantly ameliorate the TA fibrosis that could be associated with the inhibition of transdifferentiation of fibroblasts into myofibroblasts, decreased expression of TIMPs (TIMP-1, 2, 3) and increased activity of MMPs (MMP-1, 3, 9) in the TA. According to these findings, USC-exo can be a new candidate for the prevention of PD.