Stem Cell Secretome for the Treatment of Erectile Dysfunction
How well does stem cell therapy for erectile dysfunction work? Are clinical results available, and if so, what do they show? In this article, we share some research insights on stem cell therapy for the treatment of erectile dysfunction, and talk about a success story of one of our patients who was treated for ED at ANOVA Institute for Regenerative Medicine.
What is Erectile Dysfunction?
Erectile dysfunction (ED) is defined as the consistent or current inability to achieve and/or maintain an erection sufficient for satisfactory sexual performance.
ED is highly prevalent; its rates range from 10 to 50% for men of 40 to 70 years of age1. Risk factors for ED include hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, smoking, obesity, ß-blockers, anti-depressants, and alcohol use, amongst others2.
There are many different causes that can lead to ED. We published an article on the causes of ED previously.
Pharmacologically approved treatments for ED are always focused on treating the symptoms instead of targeting the underlying cause of ED1. Furthermore, a significant number of patients do not benefit from these types of treatments3.
Results of Clinical Studies on Stem Cell Therapy for Erectile Dysfunction
Over forty pre-clinical (animal model) studies have shown the benefits of bone and adipose stem cells for nerve injuries, aging or diabetes mellitus-related ED3.
Available data of clinical trials demonstrate that in ED, stem cell-based treatments can increase penile hardness in type 2 diabetes mellitus ED patients, allow patients to accomplish intercourse while improving the IIEF-5 Score in post radical prostatectomy continent patients, and improve penile artery peak systolic velocity in ED1. IIEF-5 stands for International Index of Erectile Function and is a standard questionnaire that tracks sexual function in men. The study also showed improvement in rigidity with or without the concomitant use of 5-PDI and changes in the Erection Hardness Score (EHS).
But how does the effectiveness of stem cells unfold? It is currently hypothesized that stem cells act via local paracrine mechanism to improve erectile function1.
It Matters how you Apply the Stem Cell Injections
The mentioned study showed, after the initial improvement, a decrease of the erectile function over time following a stem cell-based treatment. This strongly suggests that repeated injections are probably needed for a sustained effect1.
ANOVA has designed treatment schemes for different types of diseases with the goal to achieve the best outcome. For ED, repeated stem cell injections, if possible in bursts of three to five applications which are repeated every few months, have shown the best treatment outcome so far.
How ANOVA Successfully Treated a Patient With ED
ANOVA treated a 49-year-old patient with difficulty to have an erection and intercourse. Before the patient contacted ANOVA, he was treated with 5-PDI, followed by intracorporeal injections of vasodilators with underwhelming results. The patient had also previously tried injections of Wharton’s jelly stem cells without changes to his ED. Besides this, he followed several additional alternative treatment strategies yet without convincing results.
Our patient underwent treatment at our clinic with Mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) Secretome. A total of 5 intravenous and 5 intracavernous injections were applied, as depicted in the figure below. The patient visited the clinic twice, with a two month break in between, and received 5 injections in the course of three days each time he visited.
The results of the ANOVA secretome therapy are probably best described in the original words of the patient. Three weeks after the initial treatment period, the patient reported: “…I noticed an huge shift in my sexual performance after returning home from Germany. …”. The second treatment period was then scheduled two months later, again as a combination of intravenous and intracavernous injection. Directly after the second treatment, the patient replied: “…I just wanted to also thank Dr. Stehling for the great work he is doing with Anova and for doing such an amazing job treating me with 10 treatments and mini lipo this year. I am so appreciative and grateful. …”
Later he stated: “ I actually started experiencing some very noticeable changes about one week ago, which is close to the 5 week mark from my visit. This builds on my already increased performance from my previous visit which also showed good changes. My sexual life is very satisfying and excellent thanks to the Secretome and other natural health measures I have been consistently working on. …”
In contrast to external scientific studies, the effects of treatment so far seem long-lasting as more than 1 year after the secretome therapy the patient still states: “… Yes the Secretome has done amazingly. Of course I have a holistic protocol for my sexual health …My sexual health has never been stronger. I know that stem cell and PRP have been instrumental in my healing, and the Secretome is the best form of stem cell treatment. …”
What is the ANOVA IRM secretome?
The secretome provided by ANOVA IRM contains exosomes and soluble secreted factors and is fully legally controlled. It does not contain cells that carry the risk of malignancy. ANOVA IRM is the first institution world-wide to acquire legal permission by the regulatory bodies. Only one donation is necessary to isolate your own personal, so-calles autologous, mesenchymal stem cells from belly fat which are then cultivated in vitro for a short period to generate sufficient amounts of minimally-manipulated stem cell-conditioned medium which contains the exosomes and soluble factors secreted by your stem cells. After separating the stem cells from the medium, your own personalized secretome will undergo a thorough pharmaceutical quality control before it is being used for up to 10 treatments, which will be scheduled according to your special needs. All internal processes are controlled by German Drug Authorities and are therefore highly regulated to yield the best quality and highest safety available.
What are the advantages?
There are many advantages when using the ANOVA secretome over the injection of stem cells. As the stem cells are cultivated over a short period of time and under mild conditions there is only a low risk of loss of potency during the cultivation. No cells have to be reinjected and therefore the risk for infections or the risk to develop cancer from the pluripotent stem cells does not exist. Your own personalized secretome-containing medium will be generated and stored until you need it. The freezing does not largely change the composition. In contrast, classical MSC treatments are 1 time therapies which does not seem reasonable, as stem cells are not a cure and therefore, on-going treatment is needed. If stem cells are frozen, their behavior seems to change rendering them potentially less effective which does not allow for freezing for repeated therapy. Finally, you can rely on the highly regulated system of the German Drug Authorities when it comes to quality and safety of the final product.
Whether Stem Cell Secretome is a treatment option for you depends on your current health status and the underlying problem in your specific case. If you would like to know more about your treatment options with Stem Cell Secretome, schedule an appointment today. Our scientists and doctors will assess your medical files to see if you can benefit from stem cell treatment.
References and Literature - Stem Cell Secretome for the treatment of ED: A success story
- Capogrosso, Paolo, Francesco Montorsi, and Andrea Salonia. "Phase I and phase II clinical trials for the treatment of male sexual dysfunction—a systematic review of the literature." Expert Opinion on Investigational Drugs 27.7 (2018): 583-593.
- Haahr, Martha Kirstine, et al. "Safety and potential effect of a single intracavernous injection of autologous adipose-derived regenerative cells in patients with erectile dysfunction following radical prostatectomy: an open-label phase I clinical trial." EBioMedicine 5 (2016): 204-210.
- Gómez-Guerra, Lauro S., et al. "Erectile dysfunction treated with intracavernous stem cells: A promising new therapy?." Revista internacional de andrologia 16.3 (2018): 119-127.