Abstract
Background and Purpose: Men of age 40 years and above are at risk of non-cancerous enlargement of the prostate gland also known as benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Adverse drug reactions and treatment relapse limit the effectiveness of orthodox pharmacotherapies. This study evaluated the effect of Cassia fistula hydroalcoholic extract on BPH.
 Methods: BPH was induced in Wistar rats by subcutaneous injection of 10 mg/kg/day of testosterone propionate (TP) for 7 days. The rats were randomly allotted to five groups: corn oil only; finasteride (FS) 5 mg/kg/day; and C. fistula extract at doses of 100, 200, and 400 mg/kg/day. A sixth group in which BPH was not induced received only the vehicle. At the end of 28 consecutive days of treatment, prostate and testicular weights and indices were evaluated. The in vitro antioxidant capacity of the extract was evaluated using the DPPH free radical scavenging method.
 Results: The extract showed a very strong free radical scavenging activity with IC50 value of 1.58 µg/mL (IC50 of gallic acid = 0.63 µg/mL) due to the presence of secondary metabolites. The results also showed significant (P?0.0001) reduction in the prostate weight, prostatic index, testes weight, and testes index of C. fistula extract-treated rats when compared with the untreated BPH group.
 Conclusion: These results suggest that C. fistula extract possesses potentials as a remedy for the treatment of BPH.
Highlights
Prostate enlargement otherwise known as benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) occurs in 50% of men aged over 50 years (Berry et al, 1984)
The present study investigated the effects of 50% ethanol extract of C. fistula on testosterone propionate (TP)-induced prostatic hyperplasia in rats
In vitro Antioxidant Capacity of C. fistula Extract Table 2 shows that the free radical scavenging capacity of the extract compares favorably with the reference standards rutin and gallic acid
Summary
Prostate enlargement otherwise known as benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) occurs in 50% of men aged over 50 years (Berry et al, 1984). The most broadly used pharmaceutical intervention in BPH are α1- blockers (which relax the smooth muscle and neck of the prostate to allow urine flow) and 5α-reductase inhibitors (5-ARIs) such as finasteride and dutasteride (which inhibit the conversion of testosterone to DHT and reduce PSA levels). The stem bark of C. fistula (Fabaceae) is known as drumstick tree, pudding pipe tree, pudding stick, cassia stick tree, golden shower in English; and “Aridantooro” (Yoruba), “filasko” (Hausa), and “nchu-agwo” (Ibo) (African Pharmacopoeia, 2014) It has been used in ethnomedicine for the management of haematemesis, pruritus, diabetes and as an analgesic, anti-inflammatory, and anti-oxidant; in the treatment of glandular trumours and as a hepatoprotective agent (Ali, 2014). The present study investigated the effects of 50% ethanol extract of C. fistula on testosterone propionate (TP)-induced prostatic hyperplasia in rats
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
