Abstract
Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is a progressive pathological condition associated with proliferation of prostatic tissues, prostate enlargement, and lower-urinary tract symptoms. However, the mechanism underlying the pathogenesis of BPH is unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the protective effects of a combination of Stauntonia hexaphylla and Cornus officinalis (SC extract) on a testosterone propionate (TP)-induced BPH model. The effect of SC extract was examined in a TP-induced human prostate adenocarcinoma cell line. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into 5 groups (n = 6) for in vivo experiments. To induce BPH, all rats, except those in the control group, were administered daily with subcutaneous injections of TP (5 mg/kg) and orally treated with appropriate phosphate buffered saline/drugs (finasteride/saw palmetto/SC extract) for 4 consecutive weeks. SC extract significantly downregulated the androgen receptor (AR), prostate specific antigen (PSA), and 5α-reductase type 2 in TP-induced BPH in vitro. In in vivo experiments, SC extract significantly reduced prostate weight, size, serum testosterone, and dihydrotestosterone (DHT) levels. Histologically, SC extract markedly recovered TP-induced abnormalities and reduced prostatic hyperplasia, thereby improving the histo-architecture of TP-induced BPH rats. SC extract also significantly downregulated AR and PSA expression, as assayed using immunoblotting. Immunostaining revealed that SC extract markedly reduced the 5α-reductase type 2 and significantly downregulated the expression of proliferating cell nuclear antigen. In addition, immunoblotting of B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) family proteins indicated that SC extract significantly downregulated anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 and markedly upregulated pro-apoptotic B cell lymphoma-associated X (Bax) expression. Furthermore, SC treatment significantly decreased the Bcl-2/Bax ratio, indicating induced prostate cell apoptosis in TP-induced BPH rats. Thus, our findings demonstrated that SC extract protects against BPH by inhibiting 5α-reductase type 2 and inducing prostate cell apoptosis. Therefore, SC extract might be useful in the clinical treatment of BPH.
Highlights
Natural products from herbal plants are frequently used in traditional medicine, and are organized as an alternative treatment option for different kinds of medical problems
We investigated the effect of SC extract on androgen receptor (AR), prostate specific antigen (PSA), and 5α-reductase type 2 protein expression in testosterone propionate (TP)-induced human prostate adenocarcinoma cells (LNCaP) cells by using western blotting (Fig 1B)
The SC treated group showed a significantly (p < 0.001) decreased expression of AR, PSA, and 5α-reductase type 2, along with the Fina and Saw groups, compared to the Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) group. These results suggest that SC extract acts as a 5-α reductase type inhibitors (5ARIs), thereby suppressing androgen signaling in LNCaP cells
Summary
Natural products from herbal plants are frequently used in traditional medicine, and are organized as an alternative treatment option for different kinds of medical problems. Previous studies have reported that S. hexaphylla is a precious herbal medicine due to its anti-diabetic, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant effects [2,3,4,5,6]. We investigated the protective effect of a 9:1 mixture of S. hexaphylla and C. officinalis, called the SC extract. According to their pharmacological properties and a prior report [9] together with our previous study [10], a combination of these two plants may benefit from a synergistic effect and promises to be an effective treatment for BPH
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
