The Effect of Curcumin on Penile Fibrotic Plaque in Rats with Experimental Peyronie's Disease

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

Aerobic and anaerobic treatment of fruit juice industry effluents

830-837This study investigates biological treatment of fruit juice industry effluents in sequencing batch reactor (SBR), activated sludge reactor (ASR) and anaerobic upflow sludge blanket reactor (UASB). At anaerobic biological treatability studies, seed sludge was acclimated to the medium and 95% of COD removal was obtained within a few weeks. At the end of anaerobic study, organic loading rate was increased to 5 kg COD/m3-day and the hydraulic retention time was decreased to 2.3 days. At the aerobic biological treatability studies, 90-95% soluble COD removal was achieved for both wastewaters (sour cherry and apple) in SBR and in ASR. In addition to aerobic biological treatability studies, microbiological investigation, and kinetic and stociometric coefficients were determined. At the end of microbiological examination, fungi overwhelmingly dominated the system