Administration of Adipose Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells and Platelet Lysate in Erectile Dysfunction: A Single Center Pilot Study

Abstract

Erectile dysfunction (ED) affects more than 30 million men; endothelial dysfunction plays a significant role in EDs pathogenesis. The aim of this study was to administer mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) derived from adipose tissue and platelet lysate (PL) into patients with erectile dysfunction. This pilot study enrolled eight patients with diagnosed ED. Patients enrolled were suffering from organic ED due to diabetes melitus, hypertension, hypercholesterolaemia, and Peyronie disease. The patients were distributed in 2 groups. Patients in group A received adipose derived mesenchymal stem cells (ADMSC) resuspended in PL while patients in group B received only PL. ADMSCs were isolated from patients’ adipose tissue and expanded. In addition, blood sampling was obtained from the patients in order to isolate platelet lysate. After the application of the above treatments, patients were evaluated with an International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF-5) questionnaire, penile triplex, and reported morning erections. After MSCs and PL administration, patients presented improved erectile function after 1 and 3 months of follow-up. A statistically significant difference was observed in the IIEF-5 score before and after administration of both treatments after the first month (p < 0.05) and the third month (p < 0.05). No statistically significant difference was observed in the IIEF-5 score between group A and B patients. All patients were characterized by improved penile triplex and increased morning erections. No severe adverse reactions were observed in any patient except a minor pain at the site of injection, which was in the limits of tolerability. The results of this study indicated the satisfactory use of MSCs and PL in ED. MSCs in combination with PL or PL alone seems to be very promising, especially without having the negative effects of the current therapeutic treatment.

The Combined Use of Stem Cells and Platelet Lysate Plasma for the Treatment of Erectile Dysfunction: A Pilot Study–6 Months Results

“…Our results are in accordance with the other published studies [13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20], and although there are differences in the cells used, it seems that stem cell treatment has till now positive results in erectile function. It is also very important that patients treated in the published studies had different causes of ED including mainly diabetes and radical prostatectomy or other not-specified causes and the results are in all cases positive although not similar in improvement.…”

“…Six patients experienced an increase in penile hardness and two could achieve penetration with the use of PDE-5I [13]. Several other studies have been published with promising results and ED improvement was noted in all these studies [14][15][16][17][18][19][20].…”

“…ADSCs have gained ground due to their abundance and their simplicity to collect them. However, in the published studies, several types (umbilical, placental, bone marrow, adipose-derived) have been used with similar results and without being able to support one over the other [13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20]. Secondly, should we use stem cells from the same patient or can we choose a more healthy donor?…”

“…In an effort to establish their regenerative properties, they have been used in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine approaches [10][11][12]. Several clinical studies have been published so far presenting encouraging results in the treatment of ED with stem cells [13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20].…”

Mesenchymal stromal cells as potential immunomodulatory players in severe acute respiratory distress syndrome induced by SARS-CoV-2 infection

“…Moreover, MSCs have proven their regenerative properties when applied to injured lungs, liver, kidney, and heart[ 67 ]. Recently, it is under evaluation the beneficial regenerative effect of MSCs in erectile dysfunction[ 68 , 69 ]. MSCs, due to their plasticity, have been differentiated successfully to ECs, vascular smooth muscle cells, hepatocytes, insulin-producing cells, etc .…”