Title:A Review of Animal and Human Studies for Management of Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia with Natural Products: Perspective of New Pharmacological Agents
VOLUME: 11 ISSUE: 3
Author(s):Hanieh Azimi, Ali-Asghar Khakshur, Iman Aghdasi, Mehrnaz Fallah-Tafti and Mohammad Abdollahi
Affiliation:Faculty of Pharmacy; and Pharmaceutical Sciences Research Center; and Endocrinology & Metabolism Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran 1417614411, Iran.
Keywords:5α-reductase inhibitor, animal, anti-androgen, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-proliferative, aromatase
inhibitor, benign prostate hyperplasia, human, natural products
Abstract:objective: In this paper, we reviewed plants being effective in treatment of BPH for the purpose of finding new
sources of pharmaceutical agents.
Methods: All pertinent literature databases were searched. The search keywords were plant, herb, herbal therapy,
phytotherapy, benign prostatic hyperplasia, BPH, and prostate. All of the human, animal and in vitro studies were
evaluated.
Results: According to the studies, some of the substantial effective constituents of the plants in treatment of BPH are
oenothein B, icaritin, xanthohumol, diarylheptanoid, 2,6,4'-trihydroxy-4-methoxybenzophenone, emodin, fatty acids,
atraric acid, n-butylbenzene-sulfonamide, curbicin, theaflavin-3,30-digallate, penta-O-galloyl-b-D-glucose, lycopene,
sinalbin, β-sitosterol, secoisolariciresinol diglucoside, genistein, apigenin, baicalein, and daidzein. Besides, Serenoa
repens, Pygeum africanum, Curcubita pepo, and Urtica dioica as the most prevalent plants used to treat BPH. S. repens in
human studies showed equivalent effectiveness to tamsulosin and in combination to U. dioica revealed equal effects to
finastride with less side effects.
Conclusion: There are numerous plants that have beneficial influence on BPH although the mechanisms of action in some
plants are not well understood yet. Active ingredients of some of these plants are known and can be used as lead
components for development of new effective and safe drugs.
