Isolation and characterization of collagen in Peyronie's disease

Peyronie's disease is characterized histologically by excessive collagen deposition in the lesion. We examined the collagen types in Peyronie's disease plaque tissues compared to unaffected tissues from the same patient, other control tissues, and Dupuytren's contracture. Gel electrophoresis of pepsin-solubilized collagen demonstrated the presence of type I collagen and an increased content of type III collagen in plaque tissue. Increased type III collagen was detected in apparently normal tissue adjacent to the plaque and in Dupuytren's lesion, confirming previous findings. Although the cause of excessive collagen accumulation of Peyronie's disease is unknown, the results suggest an imbalance in the regulation of extracellular matrix production leading to pathologic fibrosis.