Effects of red ginseng oil(KGC11) on testosterone-propionate-induced benign prostatic hyperplasia.

BACKGROUND

Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is a disease characterized by abnormal proliferation of the prostate, which occurs frequently in middle-aged men. In this study, we report the effect of red ginseng oil (KGC11) on BPH.

METHODS

The BPH-induced Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into seven groups: control, BPH, KGC11 25, 50, 100, 200, and finasteride groups. KGC11 and finasteride were administered for 8 weeks. The BPH biomarkers, DHT, 5AR1, and 5AR2, androgen receptor, prostate-specific antigen (PSA), Bax, Bcl-2, and TGF-β were determined in the serum and prostate tissue. The cell viability after KGC11 treatment was determined using BPH-1 cells, and, androgen receptor, Bax, Bcl-2, and TGF-β were confirmed by western blotting.

RESULTS

In the in vivo study, administration of KGC11 reduced prostate weight by 18%, suppressed DHT (up to 22%) and 5AR2 (up to 12%) levels from administration of 100 mg/kg KGC11 (P < 0.05). PSA was significantly downregulated dose-dependently from at the concentration of 50 mg/kg KGC11 (P < 0.05). BPH-1 cell viability significantly reduced through the treatment with KGC11. and , AR, Bcl-2 TGF-β levels reduced significantly but Bax was increased (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

These results suggest that KGC11 may inhibit the development of BPH by significantly reducing the levels of BPH biomarkers via 5ARI, anti-androgenic effect, and anti-proliferation effect, serving as a potential functional food for treating BPH.