Tissue-Protective Effect Of Prosopis Africana Seed Extract On Testosterone And Estradiol Induced Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia Of Adult Male Rats

Abstract: Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is one of the most common diseases affecting aging man. In this study, we investigated the effect of Nigerian indigenous plant, Prosopis africana (PA) on BPH. We investigated the effect of Nigerian indigenous plant, Prosopis africana (PA) on BPH. BPH was induced in male rats weighing 250-350g through exogenous administration of testosterone and estradiol by subcutaneous injection. A total of 30 rats were divided into five groups. One group was used as a control and the other groups received subcutaneous injections of the hormones for 3 weeks to induce BPH. Groups 1 and 2 were treated with different doses of PA extracts and group 3 received finasteride, all by gavages for forty-five days, while group 4 was left untreated, group 5 served as normal control. After forty-five days of treatment with PA extract, the rats were anaesthetised by short contact with trichloromethane vapour. Blood was also collected by cardiac puncture and the sera were cautiously centrifuged and used for the determination of biochemical indices. The liver and kidney were also harvested and homogenized and used for the assays of oxidative activities. The levels of CAT, SOD and GSH in the extract treated rats were comparable to normal control while in the BPH control showed a significant reduction. Similarly, the activity of TBARS in the extract treated group was comparable to normal control while showing significant (P<0.05) increase in the BPH control group. Therefore Prosopis africana seed can be used to prevent oxidative tissue damage resulting from BPH, by maintaining the integrity of the tissue as well as preventing the progression or complications that may arise from the disease.
Keywords: Catalase, Superoxide dismutase, Thiobarbituric acid reactive substance, Glutathione, dihydrotestosterone, finasteride