Anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effect of modified Bazhengsan in a rat model of chronic bacterial prostatitis

Abstract

Ethnopharmacological relevanceBazhengsan is a commonly used traditional Chinese prescription for the treatment of the urogenital system diseases for thousands of years, which decoction was first described in Prescriptions of the Bureau of Taiping People's Welfare Pharmacy in Song Dynasty. Aim of the studyIn this study, the potential of modified Bazhengsan (mBazhengsan) as a chronic bacterial prostate inflammation inhibitor was investigated in a rat model. Materials and methodsRat prostates were injected with Escherichia coli to induce inflammation by the sterile operation. The decoction of mBazhengsan was administered intragastrically once every day from the seventh day of modeling. After 8 weeks, prostates were lavaged with phosphate buffer saline (PBS) and lavages were collected to use for leukocyte and lecithin body count, and then prostate tissues were removed to detect prostate weight, prostate index and microbiological analyses. Prostate histopathological changes were detected by hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining and masson staining. Bacterial growth in prostate was evaluated by the numbers of tissue culture colonies. The levels of interleukin (IL)-8, IL-1β and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-a in serums and secretory immunoglobulin (SIg)-A in prostate fluids as well as the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) in prostate tissues were detected by analysis kits. ResultsCompared with model group, treatment with mBazhengsan could significantly inhibit the recruitment of leukocyte to prostate tissues and the deposition of collagen fibers in stromas, suppressed bacterial growth in prostate tissues, decreased the numbers of leukocyte and lecithin body in prostate fluids, lowered prostate index, down-regulated the levels of inflammatory mediators (IL-1β, IL-8 and TNF-a) in serums and up-regulated the levels of SIgA in prostate fluids, and reduced the production of free radical in prostate tissues. ConclusionmBazhengsan can significantly suppress rat prostate inflammation and oxidative stress reaction, showing great therapeutic potential to the chronic bacterial prostatitis.