A soft wireless bioelectronic patch for noninvasive modulation of cavernosal microenvironment in diabetic erectile dysfunction
Han Wu, Yan Chen, Yihang Tong, Wenhao Tang, Junwei Li, Xinran Jiang, Zhongjie Zheng, Yuqiong Wang, Dedong Yin, Zaizai Dong, Qianxi Chen, Kuan Yang, Feng Liu, Yangyi Fang, Dongyu Chen, Mengqing Yan, Tiangang Song, Xing Chen, Yanli Jiao, Kai Hong, Lingqian Chang, Haocheng LinDiabetes mellitus–induced erectile dysfunction is difficult to reverse due to long-term impairment of cavernosal microenvironment. Conventional oral or intracavernosal injection therapies suffer from poor targeting, uneven drug distribution, and potential complications. Here, we propose a soft, wireless electronic patch for treating erectile dysfunction (SWEED) in diabetes mellitus, which enables safe, noninvasive, and controllable modulation of penile microenvironment. With its “microelectrode–drug reservoir–nanopore” configuration, SWE intensifies local electrical field nanoscopically and achieves uniform transdermal drug delivery. Through the enhanced local delivery of prostaglandin E1 (PGE1), SWEED demonstrates high efficiency in promoting the expression of vascular factors for endothelial repair and enhancing cavernosal blood perfusion. In both in vitro and in vivo settings, the platform achieves vascular regeneration and functional recovery comparable to clinical intracavernosal injection therapy. Moreover, it activates proerectile signaling pathways (EP2/PKA/CREB) and suppresses the TGF-β/Smad pathway, markedly alleviating cavernosal fibrosis. This work presents a paradigm for noninvasive diabetes mellitus–induced erectile dysfunction therapy.