Cinnamomi Cortex (Cinnamomum verum) Suppresses Testosterone-induced Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia by Regulating 5α-reductase

Abstract

Cinnamomi cortex (dried bark of Cinnamomum verum) is an important drug in Traditional Korean Medicine used to improve blood circulation and Yang Qi. Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is a common chronic disease in aging men. This study was conducted to determine the effect of Cinnamomi cortex water extract (CC) on BPH. BPH was induced by a pre-4-week daily injection of testosterone propionate (TP). Six weeks of further injection with (a) vehicle, (b) TP, (c) TP + CC, (d) TP + finasteride (Fi) was carried on. As a result, the prostate weight and prostatic index of the CC treatment group were reduced. Histological changes including epithelial thickness and lumen area were recovered as normal by CC treatment. The protein expressions of prostate specific antigen, estrogen receptor α (ERα), androgen receptor (AR), 5α-reductase (5AR), and steroid receptor coactivator 1 were suppressed by treatment of CC. Immunohistochemical assays supported the western blot results, as the expressions of AR and ERα were down-regulated by CC treatment as well. Further in vitro experiments showed CC was able to inhibit proliferation of RWPE-1 cells by suppressing 5AR and AR. These results all together suggest CC as a potential treatment for BPH.

Berberine Improves Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia via Suppression of 5 Alpha Reductase and Extracellular Signal-Regulated Kinase in Vivo and in Vitro

“…In order to confirm the mechanism of BPH-improving effect of BBR, we established an BPH mimicking in vitro model using RWPE-1 cells, a normal prostate epithelial cell line ( Choi et al, 2016 ) by treating 0.5 μM TP ( Ren et al, 2010 ). In Figure 4A , cell viability was analyzed using an MTS assay and no obvious cytotoxicity was observed except 10 μM BBR in TP-induced RWPE-1 cells.…”

Vanillic acid attenuates testosterone-induced benign prostatic hyperplasia in rats and inhibits proliferation of prostatic epithelial cells

“…However, the number of patients who consider alternative medication is increasing [ 25 ] because on a whole, phytotherapeutic drugs have remarkably benign adverse effects [ 44 ]. Besides the most widely used BPH alternative medication Saw palmetto, several prescriptions or herbs from Traditional Korean Medicine have been reported to be effective for BPH, such as Yukmijihwang-tang [ 45 ], Rubus coreanus [ 46 ], Scutellaria baicalensis [ 47 ], Curcuma longa [ 48 ], Phellodendron amurense [ 49 ] and Cinnamomi cortex [ 50 ].…”

“…Despite the various animal experiment models of prostatic hyperplasia widely used for BPH studies, only few in vitro models have been introduced. We established a cell model for BPH studies using normal prostate epithelial RWPE-1 cells from our previous studies [ 39 , 50 ]. In this study, we provide evidence for the suitability of this model for BPH study by showing TP-induced proliferation and increases in BPH-related factors in RWPE-1 cells.…”

“…The formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded prostate specimens were cut into 4-μm-thick tissue sections and prepared for further staining as previously described [ 50 , 67 ]. For H&E staining, the sections were stained in hematoxylin for 5 min and then washed with water for 5 min.…”

Oral exposure of sulpiride promotes the proliferation of Brown‑Norway rat prostates

“…Furthermore, the androgen receptor (AR) was demonstrated to promote prostate cells proliferation in BPH development (33). Similar to ERs, various co-regulators interact directly with AR, enhancing or reducing its transcriptional activity (34).…”