Benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH) is a major cause of abnormal overgrowth of the prostate mainly in the elderly. Corni Fructus has been reported to be effective in the prevention and treatment of various diseases because of its strong antioxidant effect, but its efficacy against BPH is not yet known. This study was designed to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of Corni Fructus water extract (CF) in testosterone-induced BPH rats.
To induce BPH, rats were intraperitoneal injected with testosterone propionate (TP). Rats in the treatment group were orally administered with CF with TP injection, and finasteride, which is a selective inhibitor of 5α-reductase type 2, was used as a positive control.
Our results showed that the increased prostate weight and histopathological changes in BPH model rats were suppressed by CF treatment. CF, similar to the finasteride-treated group, decreased the levels of testosterone and dihydrotestosterone by TP treatment in the serum, and it also reduced 5α-reductase expression and concentration in prostate tissue and serum, respectively. In addition, CF significantly blocked the expression of the androgen receptor (AR), AR co-activators, and proliferating cell nuclear antigen in BPH rats, and this blocking was associated with a decrease in prostate-specific antigen levels in serum and prostate tissue.
These results suggest that CF may weaken the BPH status through the inactivation of at least 5α-reductase and AR activity and may be useful for the clinical treatment of BPH.
Nutrition research and practice. 2018 Jul 23 [Epub]
Hyun Hwangbo, Da He Kwon, Eun Ok Choi, Min Yeong Kim, Kyu Im Ahn, Seon Yeong Ji, Jong Sik Kim, Kyung-Il Kim, No-Jin Park, Bum Hoi Kim, Gi-Young Kim, Su-Hyun Hong, Cheol Park, Ji-Suk Jeong, Yung Hyun Choi
Anti-Aging Research Center, Dongeui University, Busan 47340, Korea., Department of Anatomy, Kosin University College of Medicine, Busan 49267, Korea., Gurye Sansooyu Farming Association Corporation, Jeonnam 57602, Korea., Gurye-gun Agricultural Center, Jeonnam 57660, Korea., Department of Anatomy, Dongeui University College of Korean Medicine, Busan 47227, Korea., Laboratory of Immunobiology, Department of Marine Life Sciences, Jeju National University, Jeju 63243, Korea., Department of Molecular Biology, College of Natural Sciences, Dongeui University, Busan 47340, Korea.