Investigation of the relationship between urethral stricture formation and antioxidant levels

Urethral stricture is the narrowing of a section of the urethra as a result of scar formation in the process that progresses with fibrosis of the urethral mucosa and surrounding spongiosa tissue. Urethral strictures are examined under 4 main etiology headings: idiopathic, iatrogenic, inflammatory and traumatic. In the pathophysiology of the disease, fibrosis in the urethra and surrounding spongiosa tissue after urethral damage plays role. The degree of fibrosis is related to the degree and severity of the disease. Oxidative stress is known to be effective in the pathophysiology of many diseases and has been shown to contribute to the development of fibrosis. Antioxidant treatments against oxidative stress are being tried in the treatment of many diseases. In this study, oxidative stress parameters were examined from urethra, stricture tissue, spongiosa blood and peripheral blood samples of 24 patients who underwent urethroplasty due to urethral stricture. Stricture tissue and urethra tissue, spongiosa blood and peripheral blood measurements were compared. We discovered that in patients with urethral stricture, oxidative balance is maintained in the tissue and blood in the long term. In patients with long-term urethral stricture, antioxidant treatments are unlikely to be beneficial. Studies on antioxidant treatments in urethral stricture should focus on the early stages of the disease. Studies with larger sample sizes and patients with different disease durations will help to better understand the effects of oxidative stress on this disease and to find alternative treatment strategies.