Comparative evaluation of the pharmacological activity of coniferous provitamin concentrate and Serenoa repens (Sabal serrulatum) extract using a model of testosterone-induced benign prostatic hyperplasia in rats

Introduction. Phytotherapy continues to play an important role in the treatment of patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Aim. To evaluate the pharmacological activity of a complex of biologically active compounds isolated from the foliage of Picea abies L. and Pinus sylvestris L. (coniferous provitamin concentrate, CPC) in comparison with S. repens extract (ProstamolUno, Germany) using the testosterone-induced BPH model in rats. Material and methods. The experiment was carried out on 82 mature male Wistar rats. BPH was induced by subcutaneous administration of a prolonged testosterone preparation at a dose 0,1 ml/kg on alternate days for 14 days following surgical castration of animals. The first injection was performed one week after castration. CPC (400 mg/kg per os daily) and S. repens (200 mg/kg per os daily) treatment was started either together with the first injection of testosterone (treatment regimen) or 14 days before castration (preventive therapy regimen). The duration of the administration of agents in the therapeutic regimen was 28 days, in the preventive therapy regimen - 49 days. The study endpoints included the assessment of the prostatic index (PI) and the calculated parameters based on it, the volume of the dorsolateral prostate and the serum testosterone level at the time of euthanasia of the animals. Results. The pharmacological effects of CPC on testosterone-induced BPH were comparable to S. repens extract. Furthermore, there was a trend towards more pronounced pharmacological activity of CPC, administered in a preventive therapy regimen. Conclusion. CPC is a promising herbal agent for the complex therapy of BPH and a possible alternative to a synthetic drug treatment in men with mild to moderate lower urinary tract symptoms.