Grand Journal of Urology
E-ISSN : 2757-7163

The Effect of Curcumin on Penile Fibrotic Plaque in Rats with Experimental Peyronie's Disease
Mahmut Ulubay1, Aysenur Kaya2, Arife Ahsen Kaplan3, Kiymet Kubra Tufekci4, Ekrem Akdeniz5, Suleyman Kaplan6
1Department of Urology, Samsun University, Faculty of Medicine, Samsun, Türkiye
2Department of Histology and Embryology, Karamanoglu Mehmetbey University, Faculty of Medicine, Karaman, Türkiye
3Department of Histology and Embryology, Istanbul Medipol University, Faculty of Medicine, Istanbul, Türkiye
4Department of Histology and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, Kastamonu University, Kastamonu, Türkiye
5Department of Urology, Health Sciences University, Samsun Training and Research Hospital, Samsun, Türkiye
6Department of Histology and Embryology, Ondokuz Mayıs University, Faculty of Medicine, Samsun, Türkiye
DOI : 10.5505/GJU.2023.62207
Pages : 102-108
Objective: No effective medical approach for the treatment of Peyronie's disease (PD) has to date been described. This study was intended to evaluate the antifibrotic, antioxidant, and antiinflammatory effects of curcumin on fibrotic tissue in the tunica albuginea (TA) in a rat model of PD.

Materials and Methods: Twenty-four male Sprague Dawley rats aged 10 months were randomized into three groups (n = 8 in each). No PD model was induced in the control group. The PD+saline (PD+Ps) group received fibrin injection, followed two weeks later by saline administration by oral gavage for 14 days. The PD+Curcumin (PD+Cur) group received fibrin injection into the TA followed two weeks later by curcumin administration by oral gavage for 14 days. At the end of the experiment, fibrotic activity was evaluated using stereological and histopathological methods. Transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1), one of the most fibrogenic cytokines, was evaluated using immunohistochemistry with an anti-TGF-β1 rabbit monoclonal antibody.

Results: Stereological analysis revealed significantly greater Peyronie-like plaque areas in the TA in the PD+Ps group than in the control and PD+Cur groups (p<0.0001). No significant difference was observed between the control and PD+Cur groups (p=0.35). The PD+Ps group exhibited strong TGF-β1 immunoreactivity with increased expression in the collagenous connective tissues and fibroblasts around the TA.

Conclusion: Curcumin reduced fibrotic tissue in the TA and may represent a novel therapeutic option in the treatment of PD.

Keywords : Peyronie's disease, curcumin, fibrin, antioxidant
Viewed : 4699
Downloaded : 449