In Situ Activation and Preservation of Penile Progenitor Cells Using Icariside II in an Obesity-Associated Erectile Dysfunction Rat Model.

Obesity-associated erectile dysfunction (ED) involves pathologic change that may be related to deficit of the penile endogenous stem/progenitor cells. Therefore, an in-depth study of the penile stem/progenitor cells in the pathogenesis of ED is warranted. For this study, eight Zucker Lean (ZUC-Lepr 186; ZL group) and 16 Zucker Fatty (ZUC-Lepr 185; ZF) male rats received an intraperitoneal injection of 5-ethynyl-2-deoxyuridine (EdU) to track endogenous stem cells.

Transgenic animal model for studying the mechanism of obesity-associated stress urinary incontinence.

Objective: To study and compare the function and structure of the urethral sphincter in female Zucker lean (ZL) and Zucker fatty (ZF) rats and to assess the viability of ZF fats as a model for female obesity-associated stress urinary incontinence (SUI).

Materials And Methods: Two study arms were created: a ZL arm including 16-week-old female ZL rats (ZUC-Lepr 186; n = 12) and a ZF arm including 16-week-old female ZF rats (ZUC-Lepr 185; n = 12). I.

Effects and Mechanisms of Low-Intensity Pulsed Ultrasound for Chronic Prostatitis and Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome.

Chronic Prostatitis/Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome (CP/CPPS) is one of the most common urologic diseases, and no curative treatments have been identified. Low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS) has been successfully used in promoting tissue healing, inhibiting inflammation and pain, differentiating stem cells, and stimulating nerve regeneration/muscle regeneration, as well as enhancing angiogenesis. Very recently, LIPUS has been proven an effective approach for CP/CPPS.

Clinical applications of low-intensity pulsed ultrasound and its potential role in urology.

Low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS) is a form of ultrasound that delivered at a much lower intensity (<3 W/cm(2)) than traditional ultrasound energy and output in the mode of pulse wave, and it is typically used for therapeutic purpose in rehabilitation medicine. LIPUS has minimal thermal effects due to its low intensity and pulsed output mode, and its non-thermal effects which is normally claimed to induce therapeutic changes in tissues attract most researchers' attentions. LIPUS have been demonstrated to have a rage of biological effects on tissues, including promoting bone-fracture healing, accelerating soft-tissue regeneration, inhibiting inflammatory responses and so on.

Low-energy Shock Wave Therapy Ameliorates Erectile Dysfunction in a Pelvic Neurovascular Injuries Rat Model.

Introduction: Erectile dysfunction (ED) caused by pelvic injuries is a common complication of civil and battlefield trauma with multiple neurovascular factors involved, and no effective therapeutic approach is available.

Aims: To test the effect and mechanisms of low-energy shock wave (LESW) therapy in a rat ED model induced by pelvic neurovascular injuries.

Methods: Thirty-two male Sprague-Dawley rats injected with 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine (EdU) at newborn were divided into 4 groups: sham surgery (Sham), pelvic neurovascular injury by bilateral cavernous nerve injury and internal pudendal bundle injury (PVNI), PVNI treated with LESW at low energy (Low), and PVNI treated with LESW at high energy (High).

Low-intensity Pulsed Ultrasound Improves Erectile Function in Streptozotocin-induced Type I Diabetic Rats.

Objective: To investigate the effect of low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS) as a treatment for erectile dysfunction (ED) in a rat model of type I diabetes mellitus (DM) induced by streptozotocin (STZ).

Materials And Methods: Seventy male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned to 2 cohorts: a normal control (NC) group and an STZ-induced DM group, which was further subdivided into DM, DM+LIPUS 100, DM+LIPUS 200, and DM+LIPUS 300 groups and a DM+LESWT (low-energy shock wave therapy) 300 positive control group. Animals in the LIPUS subgroups were treated at different energy levels (100, 200, and 300 mW/cm(2)) for 3 minutes, and animals in the LESWT group received 300 shocks at 0.

Role of Schwann cells in the regeneration of penile and peripheral nerves.

Schwann cells (SCs) are the principal glia of the peripheral nervous system. The end point of SC development is the formation of myelinating and nonmyelinating cells which ensheath large and small diameter axons, respectively. They play an important role in axon regeneration after injury, including cavernous nerve injury that leads to erectile dysfunction (ED).

Recruiting endogenous stem cells: a novel therapeutic approach for erectile dysfunction.

Transplanted stem cells (SCs), owing to their regenerative capacity, represent one of the most promising methods to restore erectile dysfunction (ED). However, insufficient source, invasive procedures, ethical and regulatory issues hamper their use in clinical applications. The endogenous SCs/progenitor cells resident in organ and tissues play critical roles for organogenesis during development and for tissue homeostasis in adulthood.

Lobe-specific expression of phosphodiesterase 5 in rat prostate.

Objective: To investigate the level and location of phosphodiesterase 5 (PDE5) expression in rat prostate.

Methods: The ventral, dorsal, and lateral lobes of rat prostate were examined for PDE5 expression by Western blotting. Intact rat urogenital complex, including the urinary bladder and accessory reproductive glands, was examined for PDE5 expression by immunohistochemistry.

Presence of stem/progenitor cells in the rat penis.

Tissue resident stem cells are believed to exist in every organ, and their identification is commonly done using a combination of immunostaining for putative stem cell markers and label-retaining cell (LRC) strategy. In this study, we employed these approaches to identify potential stem cells in the penis. Newborn rats were intraperitoneally injected with thymidine analog, 5-ethynyl-2-deoxyuridine (EdU), and their penis was harvested at 7 h, 3 days, 1 week, and 4 weeks.

Conversion of adipose-derived stem cells into natural killer-like cells with anti-tumor activities in nude mice.

Efforts to develop peripheral blood-derived nature killer (NK) cells into therapeutic products have been hampered by these cells' low abundance and histoincompatibility. On the other hand, derivation of NK-like cells from more abundant cell sources such as embryonic stem cells (ESCs) and umbilical cord blood (UCB) requires the selection of rare CD34+ cells. Thus, we sought to convert adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs), which are abundant and natively CD34+, into NK-like cells.

Stem-cell therapy for erectile dysfunction.

Introduction: Stem cells (SCs) have been investigated for the treatment of erectile dysfunction (ED).

Areas Covered: This review covers key disease targets and all 33 preclinical studies, including their use of SC types, animal models, transplantation routes, and outcome assessment methods.

Expert Opinion: In the past one and half years there have been more stem-cell-for-erectile-dysfunction studies than the prior 8 years combined.

Penile prosthesis implantation in Chinese patients with severe erectile dysfunction: 10-year experience.

We retrospectively evaluated the clinical outcome of penile prosthesis implantation (PPI) in Chinese patients with severe erectile dysfunction (SED). From July 2000 to December 2011, 224 patients (mean age: 35.9±11.

Commonly used mesenchymal stem cell markers and tracking labels: Limitations and challenges.

Early observations that cultured mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) could be induced to exhibit certain characteristics of osteocytes and chondrocytes led to the proposal that they could be transplanted for tissue repair through cellular differentiation. Therefore, many subsequent preclinical studies with transplanted MSCs have strived to demonstrate that cellular differentiation was the underlying mechanism for the therapeutic effect. These studies generally followed the minimal criteria set by The International Society for Cellular Therapy in assuring MSC identity by using CD70, CD90, and CD105 as positive markers and CD34 as a negative marker.

Direct androgen regulation of PDE5 gene or the lack thereof.

Inhibition of phosphodiesterase-5 (PDE5) is a well-known mechanism for the effective treatment of erectile dysfunction (ED). Androgen supplementation has also been prescribed for treating ED. However, it has been widely accepted that androgen can upregulate PDE5 expression, and thus creating a paradox in which a positive regulator of erectile function (androgen) could possibly increase the level of a negative regulator (PDE5).

Phosphodiesterase-5 expression and function in the lower urinary tract: a critical review.

Both clinical and preclinical studies have mostly shown beneficial effects for Phosphodiesterase-5 (PDE-5) inhibitors in the treatment of lower urinary tract symptoms. Molecular studies have consistently shown abundant PDE-5 expression in bladder smooth muscle. Data concerning urethral PDE-5 expression have been surprising because striated muscle was not only positively identified, but also found to express more PDE-5 than the smooth muscle.

Effects of low-energy shockwave therapy on the erectile function and tissue of a diabetic rat model.

Introduction.  Low-energy shockwave therapy (LESWT) has been shown to improve erectile function in patients suffering from diabetes mellitus (DM)-associated erectile dysfunction (ED). However, the underlying mechanism remains unknown.

Identification of active and quiescent adipose vascular stromal cells.

Background Aims: Recent studies have demonstrated the existence of both active and quiescent stem cells in bone marrow, hair follicle and intestine. We attempted to identify active and quiescent vascular stromal cells (VSC) in adipose tissue.

Methods: For identification of active VSC, adult rats were injected intraperitoneally with thymidine analog 5-ethynyl-2-deoxyuridine (EdU) and their subcutaneous tissue harvested 3 days later.

Stem cell therapy for erectile dysfunction: a critical review.

Erectile dysfunction (ED) is a prevailing health problem that seriously impacts quality of life. Current treatment options are less effective for patients having cavernous nerve (CN) injury or diabetes mellitus-related ED. These 2 types of ED are thus the main focus of past and current stem cell (SC) therapy studies.

Defining adipose tissue-derived stem cells in tissue and in culture.

Adipose tissue-derived stem cells (ADSC) are routinely isolated from the stromal vascular fraction (SVF) of homogenized adipose tissue. Similar to other types of mesenchymal stem cells (MSC), ADSC remain difficult to define due to the lack of definitive cellular markers. Still, many types of MSC, including ADSC, have been shown to reside in a perivascular location, and increasing evidence shows that both MSC and ADSC may in fact be vascular stem cells (VSC).

Erectogenic and neurotrophic effects of icariin, a purified extract of horny goat weed (Epimedium spp.) in vitro and in vivo.

Introduction: Epimedium species (aka horny goat weed) have been utilized for the treatment of erectile dysfunction in Traditional Chinese Medicine for many years. Icariin (ICA) is the active moiety of Epimedium species.

Aim: To evaluate the penile hemodynamic and tissue effects of ICA in cavernous nerve injured rats.

Molecular Yin and Yang of erectile function and dysfunction.

In regard to erectile function, Yin is flaccidity and Yang erection. In the past decade, research has mostly focused on the Yang aspect of erectile function. However, in recent years, the Yin side is attracting increasingly greater attention.

Recent advances in andrology-related stem cell research.

Stem cells hold great promise for regenerative medicine because of their ability to self-renew and to differentiate into various cell types. Although embryonic stem cells (BSC) have greater differentiation potential than adult stem cells, the former is lagging in reaching clinical applications because of ethical concerns and governmental restrictions. Bone marrow stem cells (BMSC) are the best-studied adult stem cells (ASC) and have the potential to treat a wide variety of diseases, including erectile dysfunction (ED) and male infertility.

Effects of icariin on phosphodiesterase-5 activity in vitro and cyclic guanosine monophosphate level in cavernous smooth muscle cells.

Objectives: To investigate the effect of icariin on the cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP)-hydrolytic activity of phosphodiesterase-5 (PDE5) isoforms and the cGMP levels in cavernous smooth muscle cells treated with sodium nitroprusside (SNP).

Methods: PDE5 isoforms (PDE5A1, A2, and A3) were isolated from sf9 insect cells infected with baculoviruses carrying PDE5 isoform cDNA. Icariin was isolated from Epimedii herba.

Expression, distribution and regulation of phosphodiesterase 5.

Phosphodiesterase 5 (PDE5) is one of eleven members of the mammalian phosphodiesterase family that hydrolyzes cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) and cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP). Best known as the target of the impotence drug sildenafil, PDE5 degrades cGMP in smooth muscle cells so as to maintain the contracted state of contractile organs such as the penis, blood vessels, uterus, and intestines. In addition, it regulates numerous other physiological processes such as neurogenesis and apoptosis.