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

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 (50 μl phosphate-buffered saline [PBS] injected into the tunica albuginea [TA]), (II) PD group (0.5 μg TGF-β1 in 50 μl PBS injected into the TA) and (III) USC-exo group (0.5 ug TGF-β1 plus 100 μg 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 4 weeks 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.