Evaluation of the Therapeutic Effect of PRP in the Urethral Stricture

OpenAlex İngilizce

Aims and Objectives Urethral stricture (US) is the result of lumen stricture affecting the urethra due to fibrosis; however, the effective treatment to prevent fibrosis formation is not known. In this study, the effects of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) on a urethral injury model of male rats were evaluated for the expression of collagen type I, collagen type III, and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) using immunohistochemical techniques and the expression of miR-9-5p, miR-185, miR-29, and miR-146a using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) technique. Materials and Methods Thirty-six rats were randomly divided into six equal groups: a normal control group, a US group, a PRP group, a urethrotomy (UT) group, a US + UT group, and a US + UT + PRP group. All rats were sacrificed after the final procedure, 15 days later. Urethral tissue samples were examined using immunohistochemical techniques with TNF-α, collagen I, and collagen III antibodies, and were examined for miR-9-5p, miR-185, miR-29, and miR-146a expression using the RT-PCR technique. Results Group 2 was milder, and Group 4 had more lymphocyte infiltration of hemorrhagic areas in the lamina propria. TNF-α, collagen I, and collagen III immunoreactivities were high in all PRP-applied groups. While miR-9-5p, miR-185, miR-146, and miR-9 expressions decreased in the experimental groups except for Group 6. Conclusion PRP injection during UT modulates inflammation by increasing TNF-α expression, regulates connective tissue healing by increasing collagen III synthesis more than collagen I, and also suppresses miR-9-5p, miR-185, miR-146, and miR-9 to prevent fibrosis.