Effect of Phellius linteus water extract on benign prostatic hyperplasia

Enhancing date seed phenolic bioaccessibility in soft cheese through a dehydrated liposome delivery system and its effect on testosterone-induced benign prostatic hyperplasia in rats

Introduction

The consumption of dairy products, including soft cheese, has been associated with numerous health benefits due to their high nutritional value. However, the phenolic compounds bioaccessibility present in soft cheese is limited due to their poor solubility and stability during digestion. So, this study aimed to develop an innovative soft cheese enriched with date seed phenolic compounds (DSP) extracted ultrasonically and incorporated into homogeneous liposomes and study its attenuation effect on testosterone-induced benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) in rats.

Methods

Date seed phenolic compounds were extracted using 98 and 50% ethanol along with water as solvents, employing ultrasonication at 10, 20, and 30-min intervals. The primary and secondary DSP-liposomes were prepared and dehydrated. The particle size, zeta potential, encapsulation efficiency, and morphology were measured. Incorporating dehydrated liposomes (1-3% w/w) into soft cheese and their impact on BPH using male Sprague-Dawley rats was assessed. After inducing BPH, rats were fed a cheese diet with dehydrated DSP-liposomes. Over 8 weeks, parameters including nutrition parameters, prostate enlargement analysis, biochemical parameters, hormones level, oxidative stress, and cytokines were analyzed.

Results and Discussion

The results showed that ultrasound-assisted extraction effectively reduced the extraction time and 30 min extraction EtOH 50% was enough to extract high yield of phenolic compounds (558 mg GA/g) and flavonoids (55 mg qu/g) with high antioxidant activity (74%). The biological results indicate that prostate weight and prostate index% were diminished in the treatment groups (1 and 2) compared to the BPH control group. The high antioxidant content present in the DSP-liposomes acted as the catalyst for suppressing the responses of the inflammatory cytokines, inhibiting the anti-inflammatory IL-10 production, and suppressing the elevated levels of lipid peroxidation products compared to the BPH group.

Conclusion

The treatment group (2) supplemented with dehydrated secondary DSP-liposomes exhibited the most significant variance (p < 0.05) as opposed to the BPH group. Liposomal encapsulation was proved to be a feasible approach for administering DSP in soft cheese, thereby establishing new functional food category possessing prophylactic properties against the advancement of BPH in rats.

Inhibitory effects of Calocybe indica macrofungi on experimental benign prostatic hyperplasia in rats

Objectives

This study was designed to investigate the protective effects of Calocybe indica extract on testosterone-induced benign prostatic hyperplasia in rats.

Materials and Methods

In this study, 60 adult Sprague Dawley rats were randomly divided into six equal groups, one group served as the normal control, five of the groups were administered subcutaneous testosterone propionate for 28 days to induce benign prostatic hyperplasia, three of the five groups were simultaneously administered three graded doses of C. indica extract while one group was administered finasteride as the standard drug and the other left as untreated BPH model group given testosterone propionate only. BPH in the prostate gland was detected through gross appearance, prostate weight, and biochemical and histopathological analyses.

Results

Increased prostate weight, serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA), and epithelial thickness were observed in the untreated testosterone-induced BPH model. Administration of finasteride and C. indica extract led to a reduction in prostate weight, prostatic index, serum PSA, serum levels of testosterone, and prostatic epithelial thickness, and increased luminal diameter.

Conclusion

Administration of C. indica extract suppressed the pathophysiological effects of benign prostatic hyperplasia in rats. Thus, C. indica mushroom is a potential pharmacological candidate for the management of BPH in man or dogs.

Comparative application of testosterone undecanoate and/or testosterone propionate in induction of benign prostatic hyperplasia in Wistar rats

Testosterone undecanoate is a hormone agent with long-acting potential and is used for testosterone replacement therapy for hypogonadism. This study was designed to investigate application of testosterone undecanoate in maintaining high androgen levels for inducing benign prostatic hyperplasia more conveniently than that for testosterone propionate. We conducted two-part studies to determine the optimal dosage and dosing cycle for efficient and stable induction of benign prostatic hyperplasia using testosterone undecanoate. In the injection dosage substudy, single testosterone undecanoate dose (125, 250, 500, 750, or 1000 mg/kg body weight) was administered, and the optimal concentration was determined for 8weeks by measuring changes in testosterone, dihydrotestosterone, and 5-alpha reductase levels. And then, testosterone undecanoate was administered at the optimal dose at intervals of 1, 2, 3, or 4 weeks for 12weeks to induce benign prostatic hyperplasia. The injection dosage substudy showed dose-dependently higher and more stable levels of testosterone in groups administrated testosterone undecanoate than in groups administered testosterone propionate. In the injection cycle substudy, testosterone undecanoate-administered group stably maintained high levels of testosterone, dihydrotestosterone, and 5-alpha reductase compared with testosterone propionate-administered group for the same injection cycle; moreover, the prostate measurements, an important sign of benign prostatic hyperplasia, were significantly increased. Based on these two substudies, we determined the optimal conditions for inducing benign prostatic hyperplasia stably and more conveniently than that for testosterone propionate. This study suggests an extended application of testosterone undecanoate for inducing benign prostatic hyperplasia that can improve research reliability considering the half-life of testosterone as well as injection dosage and concentration.

Effects of Saussurea costus on apoptosis imbalance and inflammation in benign prostatic hyperplasia

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Saussurea costus (synonym: Aucklandia lappa Decne) is a medicinal plant distributed in Yunnan, Guangxi, and Sichuan in China. In traditional Korean medicine, the plant parts (especially the root-"radix aucklandiae") is widely used to treat vomiting, diarrhea, and inflammation. However, little has been reported on its effect on benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), which is common in middle-aged men.

AIM OF THE STUDY

BPH is caused by apoptosis imbalance and inflammation due to aging of the prostate. Therefore, the aim of this was to prove the efficacy of S. costus by analyzing its effect on the biological mechanisms leading to BPH progression.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Wistar rats were injected subcutaneously with a single dose of testosterone (125 mg/kg) to induce BPH, and were later administered with S. costus (20, 40 mg/kg). After 12 weeks, histological changes in the prostate and hormone regulation factors were assessed in all animals. Furthermore, apoptotic protein and apoptotic body values were analyzed to confirm the improvement of apoptosis imbalance, and inflammatory cytokines were analyzed to confirm the anti-inflammatory efficacy of S. costus.

RESULTS

In the serum and tissue of S. costus-treated BPH rats, a significant reduction in prostate weight, prostate index, and hormone regulation factors was observed. S. costus also increased the levels of apoptosis marker proteins and reduced the levels of inflammatory cytokines. It also decreased the expression of B-cell lymphoma 2 (BCL-2) and increased the expression of BCL-2 associated X protein (BAX) in the prostate. Histological changes such as epithelial thickness significantly increased in BPH induced group but significantly decreased in the S. costus-treated groups (p < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

S. costus may prevent and treat BPH occurrence by modulating inflammation and apoptosis imbalance.

Amelioration of Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia by Costunolide and Dehydrocostus Lactone in Wistar Rats

Purpose

Sesquiterpene lactones, which are found in plants of the Asteraceae family, contain costunolide (CO) and dehydrocostus lactone (DCL) as indicator material. CO, in particular, has been reported to possess varied pharmacological activity, including anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and antioxidant effects. This study was designed to characterize the effects of CO and DCL on benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH).

Materials and Methods

Rats were injected subcutaneously daily for 8 weeks with 5 mg/kg testosterone to induce prostatic hyperplasia. Wistar rats were randomly divided into 5 groups of 10 animals each and received the following treatment: I. Normal control group; II. BPH-induced group; III. CO group (0.075 mg/kg); IV. DCL group (0.075 mg/kg); and V. Finasteride group (0.8 mg/kg). After treatment, changes in prostate weight and serum biochemical indices, serum dihydrotestosterone level, and mRNA levels of BCL2 were measured and histological examinations performed.

Results

Absolute and relative prostate weight in the indicator material treated groups, as well as prostate volume, decreased compared to those in the disease-induced group. Epithelial cell thickness increased significantly in the disease-induced group, with a significant decrease being observed in the CO group. The level of the anti-apoptotic protein BCL2 (B-cell lymphoma 2) tended to decrease to a greater extent in the DCL group than in the disease-induced group.

Conclusions

In this study, we confirmed that the indicator materials (CO and DCL) can help suppress the development of BPH.

Effect of Paecilomyces tenuipes Extract on Testosterone-Induced Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia in Sprague-Dawley Rats

Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is one of the major public health concerns, which has a high prevalence rate and causes significant decline in men’s quality of life. BPH is highly related to sexual hormone metabolism and aging. In particular, dihydrotestosterone (DHT), to which testosterone is modified by 5α-reductase (5AR), has a significant effect on BPH development. DHT binds to an androgen receptor (AR) and steroid receptor coactivator 1 (SRC-1); then, it induces the proliferation of a prostate cell and expression of prostate specific antigen (PSA). Paecilomyces tenuipes (P. tenuipes) is a mushroom that has been popularized by the artificial cultivation of fruiting bodies based on silkworms by researchers from the Republic of Korea. In a previous study, we identified the effect of PE on PSA mRNA expression in LNCaP cells. This suggests that PE may have an inhibitory effect on androgen signaling. Therefore, we confirmed the expression of androgen signaling-related factors, such as AR, SRC-1, and PSA in LNCaP. Furthermore, we confirmed the androgen signaling inhibitory effect of PE using the testosterone propionate (TP)-induced BPH rat model. A BPH rat model was established with a four-week treatment of daily subcutaneous injections of testosterone propionate (TP, 3 mg/kg) dissolved in corn oil after castration. The rats in the treatment group were orally gavaged P. tenuipes extract (PE), finasteride (Fi), or saw palmetto extract (Saw) with TP injection. DHT induced an increase in the expression levels of AR, SRC-1, and PSA proteins in LNCaP cells. On the contrary, the PE treatment reduced the expression levels. In vivo, the BPH group showed an increase in prostate size compared with the control group. The PE gavaged group showed a decrease in prostate size compared with the BPH group. In addition, the protein expressions of AR, 5AR2, and PSA were significantly lower in the PE gavaged group than BPH group in prostate tissue. These results suggest the beneficial effects of PE on BPH via the modulation of AR signaling pathway.

Purple rice extract inhibits testosterone-induced rat prostatic hyperplasia and growth of human prostate cancer cell line by reduction of androgen receptor activation

The preventive effects of purple rice crude ethanolic extract (PRE) were firstly investigated on testosterone-induced benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) in castrated rats. As compared to vehicle-treated rats, lower prostate weights were found in the BPH rats that received PRE 1 g/kg bw. In addition, the PRE treatment down-regulated the androgen receptor (AR) expression in the dorsolateral prostate of those rats. In human prostate cancer cell line, LNCaP, PRE could reduce the cell growth, down-regulate the expression of AR and suppress prostate-specific antigen (PSA) secretion. Moreover, PRE also inhibited an activity of 5α-reductase from rat liver microsomes and the mutagenicity of Salmonella Typhimurium induced by standard mutagen. These results demonstrate that PRE altered testosterone-induced BPH in rats and retarded prostate cancer cell growth by modulating AR expression. It is therefore recommended that further investigation is undertaken into the chemopreventive potential of PRE in androgen-AR mediated diseases. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: This study revealed the mechanisms of purple rice extract on testosterone-induced rat benign prostatic hyperplasia. Such information, purple rice components show promise as an effective chemopreventive agent for prostatic hyperplasia prevention by alternating the influence of testosterone through its receptor. Thus, purple rice might be developed as food supplement for reduction of prostatic hyperplasia or cancer in elder men.

A Review: The Bioactivities and Pharmacological Applications of Phellinus linteus

Phellinus linteus is a popular medicinal mushroom that is widely used in China, Korea, Japan, and other Asian countries. P. linteus comprises various bioactive components, such as polysaccharides, triterpenoids, phenylpropanoids, and furans, and has proven to be an effective therapeutic agent in traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment and the prevention of various diseases. A number of studies have reported that P. linteus possesses many biological activities useful for pharmacological applications, including anticancer, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, antioxidative, and antifungal activities, as well as antidiabetic, hepatoprotective, and neuroprotective effects. This review article briefly presents the recent progress made in understanding the bioactive components, biological activities, pharmacological applications, safety, and prospects of P. linteus, and provides helpful references and promising directions for further studies of P. linteus.

The therapeutic effects of docosahexaenoic acid on oestrogen/androgen-induced benign prostatic hyperplasia in rats

Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is one of the major disorders of the urinary system in elderly men. Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is the main component of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFAs) and has nerve protective, anti-inflammatory and tumour-growth inhibitory effects. Here, the therapeutic potential of DHA in treating BPH was investigated. Seal oil effectively prevented the development of prostatic hyperplasia induced by oestradiol/testosterone in a rat model by suppressing the increase of the prostatic index (PI), reducing the thickness of the peri-glandular smooth muscle layer, inhibiting the proliferation of both prostate epithelial and stromal cells, and downregulating the expression of androgen receptor (AR) and oestrogen receptor α (ERα). An in vitro study showed that DHA inhibited the growth of the human prostate stromal cell line WPMY-1 and the epithelial cell line RWPE-1 in a dose- and time-dependent manner. In both cell lines, the DHA arrested the cell cycle in the G2/M phase. In addition, DHA also reduced the expression of ERα and AR in the WPMY-1 and RWPE-1 cells. These results indicate that DHA inhibits the multiplication of prostate stromal and epithelial cells through a mechanism that may involve cell cycle arrest and the downregulation of ERα and AR expression.

The prevention and treatment effects of tanshinone IIA on oestrogen/androgen-induced benign prostatic hyperplasia in rats

Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is one of the major diseases of the urinary system in elderly men. Tanshinone IIA (Tan IIA) is the active ingredient extracted from the traditional Chinese medicine Salvia, and it has effects of anti-oxidation, anti-inflammation, vascular smooth muscle relaxation and tumour growth inhibition. The present study aimed to investigate the therapeutic potential of Tan IIA in the prevention and treatment of BPH. In a rat model of oestradiol/testosterone-induced BPH, Tan IIA inhibited the increase in the thickness of the peri-glandular smooth muscle layer, suppressed the expression of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) in both prostate epithelial cells and stromal cells, downregulated the expression of androgen receptor (AR), oestrogen receptor α (ERα), cyclin B1 (CCNB1) and cyclin D1 (CCND1), and effectively prevented the development of the disorder. In vitro, Tan IIA inhibited the proliferation of human prostate stromal cell line WPMY-1 and epithelial cell line RWPE-1 in a dose- and time-dependent manner. In WPMY-1 cells, Tan IIA treatment arrested the cell cycle at the G2/M phase and downregulated the expression of CCNB1. However, in RWPE-1 cells, Tan IIA treatment arrested cell cycle at the G0/G1 phase and reduced the expression of CCND1. Tan IIA also reduced the expression of ERα and AR in WPMY-1 and RWPE-1 cells. These results suggest that Tan IIA can inhibit the growth of prostate stromal and epithelial cells both in vivo and in vitro by a mechanism that may involve arresting the cell cycle and downregulating ERα and AR expression.