Effect of transdermal electromotive drug therapy on fibrogenic cytokine expression in Peyronie's disease.
OBJECTIVE
To assess the effect of transdermal electromotive drug therapy (EMDT) on transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) expression and their receptors in plaques in patients with Peyronie's disease.


METHODS
Tissue was obtained from 13 patients with stable Peyronie's disease who had undergone plaque excision because of penile curvature. Of the 13 patients, 7 underwent EMDT with dexamethasone, verapamil, and lidocaine as first-line therapy before plaque excision and 6 were therapy naive. TGF-beta and bFGF mRNA and protein expression and that of their receptors were measured using real-time polymerase chain reaction and Western blotting.


RESULTS
The mean patient age was 52.83 years. The mean interval from the end of EMDT to plaque excision was 7.6 months, with stable disease for >or=5 months. The comparison of TGF-beta mRNA expression in the plaques showed no difference between the EMDT and therapy-naive patients (P = .17). Also, TGF-beta protein expression in the plaques was not significantly different between the EMDT and therapy-naive patients (P = .443). TGF-beta receptor 1 mRNA expression in the plaques was significantly different between the EMDT and therapy-naive patients (P = .023), but no difference was found for TGF-beta receptor 2 mRNA (P = .292). The expression of bFGF mRNA (P = .0005) and bFGF protein expression (P = .034) in the plaques was significantly lower after EMDT. bFGF receptor mRNA expression (P = .619) showed no significant differences.


CONCLUSIONS
Patients with Peyronie's had significantly lower bFGF mRNA and bFGF protein expression in the plaques after EMDT. Also, overexpression of TGF-beta protein and the TGF-beta receptor was identified in the EMDT plaques compared with the therapy-naive plaques.
Stancik
Igor
I
Department of Urology, Ludwig-Boltzmann Institute for Urology and Andrology, Hietzing Hospital, Vienna, Austria. igor.stancik@wienkav.at
Schäfer
Romana
R
Andrukhova
Olena
O
Oeser
Reinhard
R
Plas
Eugen
E
Pflüger
Heinz
H
D053672:Electrochemotherapy / Q000379:methods; D016222:Fibroblast Growth Factor 2 / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010411:Penile Induration / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism*; D012313:RNA / Q000032:analysis; D012867:Skin; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics
D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta; D016222:Fibroblast Growth Factor 2; D012313:RNA