Smooth Muscle Progenitor Cells Preserve the Erectile Function by Reducing Corporal Smooth Muscle Cell Apoptosis after Bilateral Cavernous Nerve Crush Injury in Rats

Figure 5

Ultrastructural analysis of the corpus cavernosum (CC) tissue. (a) Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) of the smooth muscle cell (SMC) of the CC near the sinusoid of the sham group. (b) A severe increase in extracellular matrix containing collagen was observed at vehicle only group. (c) Few apoptotic cells are observed in the smooth muscle area of CC after smooth muscle progenitor cells (SPC) treatment. (d) No apparent changes in the adherens junctions of the SMC were observed in the sham group. (e) A few fibroblasts are observed in the smooth muscle apoptotic site and loss of the adherens junctions in the SMC is shown. (f) Part of the adherens junctions between SMCs observed in the SPC group exhibits patterns of partial mitochondrial destruction (red arrow). The upper right square shows higher magnification in all groups.