Abstract
Background and objective: Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is a typical nonmalignant growth of the prostate in the elderly. Crocin, a bioactive component of Crocus sativus L., commonly known as saffron, is known to have an anti-proliferative activity against numerous types of cancer, including prostate cancer. This study investigated the effects of crocin on testosterone-induced BPH development in rats. Materials and methods: The study sample included three groups of adult male rats (3 months old, weighed 250 g): the control group received corn oil only, the second and the third groups were injected with testosterone (3 mg/kg dissolved in corn oil) subcutaneously. The second group was considered as testosterone-induced BPH (untreated) while the third groups were assigned as testosterone-induced BPH-crocin treated group (100 mg/kg orally for 14 days). Results: After animal sacrifice, histopathological analysis of the prostate tissues was performed in parallel with gene expression of proliferation (PCNA), inflammation (IL-6), and vascularization (VEGF-A) markers, analyzed by qRT-PCR. Crocin treatment significantly reduced prostate index and the thickness of the epithelial layer in rats with BPH. Additionally, the mRNA expression levels of PCNA, a marker of cell proliferation; IL-6, an inflammatory cytokine; and VEGF-A, an angiogenesis marker, were significantly down-regulated in the BPH group that were treated with crocin. Conclusions: The present study indicates that crocin can effectively prevent the development of experimentally induced BPH through inhibition of prostatic cellular proliferation, inflammation, and angiogenesis.
Highlights
Benign prostatic hyperplasia or BPH is described as a nonmalignant prostate gland growth observed frequently in aging men [1]
One week of adaptation to the laboratory environment in the animal house (25 ◦C, 40–60% humidity) was adopted for all experimental animals, the rats were divided into three equal groups (n = 10/group): the normal control group received corn oil only, the second group received testosterone injection subcutaneously
The results of the current study demonstrated a higher prostate index and the thickness of the epithelial layer in the BPH group compared to the normal prostatic group,whereas treatment with crocin significantly decreased the prostate index and the epithelial thickness in the treated rats compared to the BPH group (P < 0.05; Figs. 1,2)
Summary
Benign prostatic hyperplasia or BPH is described as a nonmalignant prostate gland growth observed frequently in aging men [1]. Different studies showed the similarity between induced BPH in rats and human BPH. Both pathologies present a distinctive expression of the major inflammatory, angiogenesis, and proliferative markers such as IL-6, VEGF, and PCNA, respectively [3,4]. This study investigated the effects of crocin on testosterone-induced BPH development in rats. The mRNA expression levels of PCNA, a marker of cell proliferation; IL-6, an inflammatory cytokine; and VEGF-A, an angiogenesis marker, were significantly down-regulated in the BPH group that were treated with crocin. Conclusions: The present study indicates that crocin can effectively prevent the development of experimentally induced BPH through inhibition of prostatic cellular proliferation, inflammation, and angiogenesis
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