New discoveries concerning the function of fibroblasts in penile erection have improved our understanding of this physiological process. In humans, fibroblasts are the largest cell population in the corpora cavernosa, but until now their function had not been elucidated.

“We study perivascular fibroblasts in the context of fibrosis in the central nervous system and I was curious about their physiological role in erection,” lead author Christian Göritz tells Nature Reviews Urology, continuing “The penis contains a large amount of fibroblasts and has the advantage that it lays outside the body, making it possible to study fibroblast function non-invasively.”

关于成纤维细胞在阴茎勃起中的功能的新发现提高了我们对这一生理过程的理解。在人类中，成纤维细胞是海绵体中最大的细胞群，但迄今为止它们的功能尚未阐明。

“我们在中枢神经系统纤维化的背景下研究血管周围成纤维细胞，我很好奇它们在勃起中的生理作用，”主要作者克里斯蒂安·戈里茨告诉《自然评论泌尿学》杂志，他继续说道，“阴茎含有大量成纤维细胞，具有优势它位于体外，使得非侵入性研究成纤维细胞功能成为可能。”