Mechanisms of, and novel pharmacological approaches to, Peyronie’s disease

Peyronie’s disease is characterized by penile curvature because of a fibrotic plaque in the tunica albuginea, is frequently associated with pain and erectile dysfunction, and has a prevalence of 3–5%. Its pathophysiology is common to other fibrosis elicited by myofibroblast persistence, oxidative stress, and diverse cytokines. The balance between inducible nitric oxide synthase and metalloproteinase inhibitors appears to act as an endogenous defense mechanism. Therapy is essentially surgical, although verapamil and colchicine are moderately effective in some patients, and other experimental pharmacological approaches are promising.