Occhiuto Cristina, Santoro Giuseppe, Tranchida Peter Quinto, Bono Giovanni, Occhiuto Francesco
Department of Chemical, Biological, Pharmaceutical and Environmental Sciences, University of Messina, Messina, Italy.
Department of Biomedical and Dental Sciences and Morpho-Functional Images, University of Messina, Messina, Italy.
J Exp Pharmacol. 2023 Feb 5;15:41-50. doi: 10.2147/JEP.S383699. eCollection 2023.
The use of phytotherapics is very frequent in men with prostatic diseases, sexual disorders and infertility, and many associations are commercially available. Various vegetable products used as drugs or nutraceuticals are attributed to possess the capacity to exert benefic effects on the reproductive system, and most of these drugs have a rich and varied lipidosterolic fraction, primarily responsible for the effects related to the male genital sphere. (Lam.) Benth. (Bignoniaceae) is a plant used in African folk medicine as a vegetal remedy for various diseases, including some disorders of the male reproductive system; however, its potential activities have not yet been fully explored. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether the lipidosterolic hexane extract (LHE) from fruits, analyzed by comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography-mass spectrometry/flame ionization detection (GC×GC-MS/FID), can prevent or reverse benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) in rats.
BPH was induced in experimental groups by daily subcutaneous injections of testosterone propionate (TP) for four weeks. β-sitosterol (β-s) was used as positive control. On day 28, the animals were sacrificed by cervical dislocation after anesthesia. Prostates were excised, weighed, and used for macroscopic and histological studies. Testosterone and dihydrotestosterone (DHT) levels in prostate were measured.
The results showed that LHE significantly reduced the prostatic weight, prostatic index, prostatic levels of testosterone and DHT, and the histopathological alterations (including the epithelial thickness, stromal proliferation, and lumen area) induced by testosterone. These effects were superior to those demonstrated by β-s and appear to be due to a partial antiandrogenic activity of LHE.
The results obtained showed that the LHE can prevent, and reverse testosterone induced prostatic hyperplasia, and support the traditional use of in some disorders of the reproductive system.
植物疗法在患有前列腺疾病、性功能障碍和不育症的男性中使用非常频繁，市场上有许多相关产品可供选择。各种用作药物或营养保健品的植物产品被认为具有对生殖系统产生有益作用的能力，并且这些药物中的大多数都含有丰富多样的脂甾醇成分，主要负责与男性生殖系统相关的作用。（紫葳科）是一种在非洲民间医学中用于治疗各种疾病（包括一些男性生殖系统疾病）的植物；然而，其潜在活性尚未得到充分探索。本研究的目的是调查通过全二维气相色谱 - 质谱/火焰离子化检测（GC×GC - MS/FID）分析的果实脂甾醇己烷提取物（LHE）是否可以预防或逆转大鼠良性前列腺增生（BPH）。
通过每天皮下注射丙酸睾酮（TP）四周诱导实验组发生BPH。β - 谷甾醇（β - s）用作阳性对照。在第28天，动物在麻醉后通过颈椎脱臼处死。切除前列腺，称重，并用于宏观和组织学研究。测量前列腺中睾酮和双氢睾酮（DHT）的水平。
结果表明，LHE显著降低了前列腺重量、前列腺指数、前列腺中睾酮和DHT的水平，以及由睾酮诱导的组织病理学改变（包括上皮厚度、基质增殖和管腔面积）。这些作用优于β - s所显示的作用，似乎是由于LHE的部分抗雄激素活性。
所获得的结果表明，LHE可以预防并逆转睾酮诱导的前列腺增生，并支持其在某些生殖系统疾病中的传统用途。
