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Stem cells could cure male impotence
Last reviewed: 01.07.2025
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Experts from a South Korean scientific center reported that in the near future it will be possible to completely cure impotence (erectile dysfunction) with the help of modern nanotechnology and stem cells. Specialists managed to grow and transplant special stem cells from nanofibers. The study leaders are confident that this step will be decisive in the fight against the disease that threatens almost all elderly men. Stem cell transplantation will help patients restore erectile function after a complex prostate removal operation.
Prostaectomy or prostate removal is a complex surgical operation aimed at removing the prostate (prostate gland). Usually, the operation is performed in the presence of a malignant prostate tumor or in a particularly advanced and complex form of prostate adenoma, when treatment without surgical intervention is not possible. Most often, the postoperative period lasts no more than 20-30 days. The most common consequences are: the presence of postoperative pain, the use of a catheter for 2-3 weeks, and, if the prostate nerve is damaged by the tumor, urinary incontinence and complete lack of erection. Erectile dysfunction, which occurs as a result of surgical intervention, should be treated after complete recovery and the end of hospitalization.
The study, conducted at a South Korean research center, involved monitoring the health of forty adult male rats for several weeks. The rodents were divided into four equal groups, three of which contained males with damaged limbs and nerve endings. Only one group of rodents was treated with stem and cloned cells.
The study showed that treatment using nanotechnology and grown stem cells was the most effective and efficient. After prostate removal, many men experience erectile dysfunction, which is associated with damage to nerve endings. This is considered one of the most common complications after radical prostatectomy and, if not treated properly, can be fatal.
Statistical data show that medications do not guarantee a complete recovery, so Asian researchers are closely studying alternative treatment methods. Growing and subsequent transplantation of stem cells is designed to help restore damaged nerve cells, which will solve the problem with erection. At the moment, the study leaders are carefully studying the effectiveness and, of course, the safety of transplanting stem cells to the human body. Cell transplantation to small rodents was quite successful, without any complications, but so far we cannot be sure of the same successful outcome of the operation when the patient is an adult.
Experts noted that males who have erectile dysfunction complain of severe headaches much more often than those who do not have erectile dysfunction. It is curious that for many years, constant headaches and migraines were considered a sign of sexual dysfunction in women.
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