ArticleStem cell research & therapy2025
The critical role of PDGFRa + Sca1 + fibroblasts in angiogenesis and vascular repair in the corpus cavernosum.
Article in Stem cell research & therapy, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.
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Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed.
- Platelet-Derived Growth Factor Receptor Alpha in Male Reproductive Health and Oxidative Stress: Stromal Homeostasis, Injury, and Research Perspectives.Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Cardiac fibroblast diversity in HFpEF: states, niches, interorgan drivers and targets.Nature reviews. Cardiology · 2026Review
- A comprehensive landscape of mechanical stress-mediated lipid metabolism in human cavernous fibroblasts.Communications biology · 2026Article
- Using the International Index of Erectile Function-15 in Comparative Analysis Between Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation of the Pudendal Nerve and Low-Level Laser Therapy in the Treatment of Erectile Dysfunction After COVID-19.Journal of clinical medicine · 2025Article
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Authors and funding
13 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundErectile dysfunction (ED) is an important cause of reduced quality of life for men and their partners. A common pathological feature across various types of ED, including diabetes mellitus-induced ED (DMED) and bilateral cavernous nerve injury-induced ED (CNIED), is the loss of endothelial cells (ECs) and smooth muscle cells (SMCs) in the corpus cavernosum (CC). Stem cell-based therapies have garnered attention due to their potential to differentiate into specialized cell types, offering promise for the treatment of ED. Fibroblasts (FBs), the most abundant cell type in the CC, have raised considerable interest in recent years. However, the functional role of FBs in the progression of ED remains unclear.
methodsWe established DMED and CNIED animal models and performed single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) to analyze cell subsets within the pathological environments of these two ED types. To further investigate the cellular landscape, we combined spatial transcriptomics with scRNA-seq and multiplexed immunofluorescence to identify specific FB subsets in the CC.
resultsscRNA-seq revealed a distinct subset of FBs that overexpress both Sca1 and PDGFRa. CytoTRACE analysis and Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) indicated that PDGFRa + Sca1 + FBs may be associated with angiogenesis and possess the potential to differentiate into ECs and SMCs. Immunofluorescence analysis confirmed that PDGFRa + Sca1 + FBs were localized to the vessel walls, with co-localization of Sca1 and PDGFRa observed with markers for SMCs and ECs. Our findings shed light on the role of PDGFRa + Sca1 + FBs in the CC, demonstrating their involvement in angiogenesis and vascular repair. The depletion of these FBs in disease conditions may contribute to the exhaustion of ECs and SMCs, providing new insights into the pathogenesis of ED.
conclusionThese results open potential avenues for novel therapeutic strategies aimed at targeting PDGFRa + Sca1 + FBs to restore vascular function in ED.
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