Intracavernosal Exosomes vs. Rectal Ozone for Post-RARP Erectile Dysfunction (REHAB-RARP)

July 11, 2026 updated by: Ali Ihsan Memmi, Medipol University

Intracavernosal Exosomes Versus Rectal Ozone Therapy for Erectile Dysfunction Following Robotic-Assisted Radical Prostatectomy

This prospective, randomized, controlled trial aims to evaluate and compare the therapeutic efficacy of intracavernosal urine-derived exosomes and systemic rectal ozone therapy in patients experiencing erectile dysfunction (ED) post-robotic-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP). Patients will be randomized into two distinct intervention arms. The primary objective is to assess the functional recovery of the erectile tissue via the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF-5) over a 6-month follow-up period. Secondary endpoints include penile hemodynamic alterations and overall health-related quality of life.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

Erectile dysfunction (ED) remains a prevalent and distressing complication following robotic-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP), primarily manifesting secondary to cavernous nerve neuropraxia, subsequent localized hypoxia, and fibrotic remodeling of the corpus cavernosum. While standard pharmacotherapies (e.g., PDE5 inhibitors) offer symptomatic relief, they fail to reverse the underlying endothelial and neural detriments.Recent preclinical and clinical data suggest that stem cell-derived therapies, particularly cell-free exosomes, exhibit significant proangiogenic and antifibrotic properties. Extracellular vesicles containing components of the stem cell secretome, such as microRNAs, facilitate endothelial cell proliferation and tissue repair. Conversely, systemic ozone therapy has been hypothesized to enhance oxygen delivery, upregulate antioxidant enzymes, and modulate inflammatory cascades, potentially mitigating post-surgical ischemia. In this trial, eligible post-RARP patients will be randomized (1:1) to receive either a targeted intracavernosal injection of urine-derived exosomes (USC-Exos) or a scheduled regimen of rectal ozone-oxygen mixture insufflation. Erectile capacity, penile vascular hemodynamics (assessed via pharmacopenile duplex ultrasonography), and general health status will be prospectively monitored at baseline, 3, and 6 months post-intervention.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
60

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Locations

  • Turkey (Türkiye)
    • Başakşehir
      • Istanbul, Başakşehir, Turkey (Türkiye)
        • Başakşehir Çam Sakura City Hospital
        • Contact:
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Ali ihsan Memmi, MD

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • History of Robotic-Assisted Radical Prostatectomy (ns-RARP) for localized prostate cancer.
  • Normal preoperative erectile function (retrospective IIEF-5 score > 21).
  • Presence of a stable, sexually active heterosexual relationship.
  • Inadequate response or intolerance to maximum dose, on-demand oral Phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors (PDE5i).

Exclusion Criteria:

  • History of adjuvant or salvage pelvic radiotherapy / androgen deprivation therapy (ADT).
  • Presence of severe anatomical penile deformities (e.g., active phase Peyronie's disease).
  • Uncontrolled endocrinological (e.g., HbA1c > 8.5%) or cardiovascular comorbidities.
  • History of major cardiovascular events (myocardial infarction, stroke) within the preceding 6 months.
  • Current use of systemic anticoagulants (excluding low-dose prophylactic aspirin).
  • Concomitant use of any intraurethral alprostadil, vacuum erection devices (VED), or testosterone replacement therapy during the study period.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Intracavernosal Urine-Derived Exosomes (USC-Exos)
Participants randomized to this arm will receive targeted intracavernosal injections of cell-free, urine-derived exosomes. The intervention aims to evaluate the proangiogenic and regenerative effects of the exosome secretome on the cavernous tissue following radical prostatectomy.
Biological: Urine-Derived Exosomes (USC-Exos)
A single (or protocol-specified sequenced) bilateral intracavernosal injection of a sterile, cell-free urine-derived exosome suspension (e.g., 2 cc) into the corpus cavernosum, performed under clinical setting conditions.
Experimental: Rectal Medical Ozone Therapy
Participants randomized to this arm will receive protocolized systemic rectal medical ozone insufflation. This arm evaluates the systemic antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and tissue oxygenation benefits of ozone therapy on post-operative erectile functional recovery.
Procedure: Rectal Medical Ozone Insufflation
Administration of a standardized medical ozone and oxygen gas mixture (e.g., 30-40 µg/mL concentration) via rectal insufflation. The treatment will be administered for a predetermined number of sessions (e.g., 10 sessions spanning over 5 weeks) using a certified medical ozone generator.
Active Comparator: Standard Penile Rehabilitation
Participants randomized to this arm will receive the current standard of care for post-prostatectomy penile rehabilitation. This serves as the active control group to benchmark the efficacy of the experimental regenerative therapies.
Drug: Daily Phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE5) Inhibitor
Oral administration of a daily low-dose PDE5 inhibitor (e.g., Tadalafil 5 mg once daily) for a continuous duration of 6 months, aligning with standard clinical guidelines for post-operative erectile dysfunction management.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Mean Change in International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF-5) Score
Time Frame: Baseline, 3 Months Post-Intervention, and 6 Months Post-Intervention.
The International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF-5) is a validated self-reporting psychometric instrument utilized to assess erectile function severity. The total score ranges from a minimum of 5 to a maximum of 25. Higher scores represent better erectile function (a better outcome), with scores ≤21 indicating varying degrees of erectile dysfunction and 22-25 representing normal erectile function.
Baseline, 3 Months Post-Intervention, and 6 Months Post-Intervention.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in Peak Systolic Velocity (PSV)
Time Frame: Baseline and 6 Months Post-Intervention.
Objective measurement of cavernous arterial competence following an intracavernosal injection of a vasoactive agent, assessed via Pharmacopenile Duplex Ultrasonography (PPDU). Reported in centimeters per second (cm/s).
Baseline and 6 Months Post-Intervention.
Change in End-Diastolic Velocity (EDV)
Time Frame: Baseline and 6 Months Post-Intervention.
Objective measurement of the cavernous veno-occlusive mechanism following an intracavernosal injection of a vasoactive agent, assessed via Pharmacopenile Duplex Ultrasonography (PPDU). Reported in centimeters per second (cm/s).
Baseline and 6 Months Post-Intervention.
Change in Resistive Index (RI)
Time Frame: Baseline and 6 Months Post-Intervention.
Calculated ratio based on the peak systolic and end-diastolic velocities, used to evaluate penile vascular resistance via Pharmacopenile Duplex Ultrasonography (PPDU). It is reported as a unitless ratio.
Baseline and 6 Months Post-Intervention.

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Medipol University

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
Istanbul Medipol University Hospital
Başakşehir Çam & Sakura City Hospital

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
August 1, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
January 1, 2027

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
April 1, 2027

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
May 17, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
July 11, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
July 16, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
July 16, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
July 11, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
July 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • 1453145315453

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

Cookie Settings

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. For more details carefully read our Privacy and Cookies Policy. ...>>>You can change your preferences or withdraw your consent at any time by deleting the cookies from your website or computer as described in the policy. Please accept it and choose your preferences by ticking the corresponding boxes in the "Manage Settings" section below. Please carefully read our Terms of Service before you proceed with using any part of this website.
«Manage Settings