Intracavernous administration of bone marrow mononuclear cells: a new method of treating erectile dysfunction?

Abstract

While PDE5 inhibitors have revolutionized treatment of ED, approximately 30% of patients are non-responsive. A significant cause of this is vascular and smooth muscle dysfunction, as well as nerve atrophy. Autologous administration of bone marrow mononuclear cells (BMMC) has been performed in over 2000 cardiac patients without adverse effects, for stimulation of angiogenesis/regeneration. Despite its ease of access, and dependence on effective vasculature for function, comparatively little has been perform in terms of BMMC therapy for ED. Here we outline the rationale for use of autologous BMMC in patients with ED, as well as provide early safety data on the first use of this procedure clinically.

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].…”

Translational Animal Models for Regenerative Medicine Research

“…Recently there have been attempts to treat erectile dysfunction by intracavernous injection of stem cells in a rat model [85][86][87], and this is the topic of a US patent. The researchers report that the injected stem cells, which can be bone marrow or adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells, or muscle-derived stem cells, migrate away from the site of injection and home to the bone marrow.…”