Inhibition of Spontaneous Canine Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia by an Urtica fissa Polysaccharide Fraction

Abstract

In this study, we investigated the inhibition of spontaneous canine benign prostatic hyperplasia by a crude polysaccharide fraction extracted from Urtica fissa roots and stems. After oral administration of U. fissa polysaccharide fraction for 3 months, the dog prostatic volume reduced significantly when compared to that before treatment using CT examination. The high-dosage U. fissa polysaccharide fraction (120 mg/kg body weight/day) and finasteride (0.5 mg/kg body weight/day) treatments showed both almost 30 % reduction of the initial prostatic volume. At the end of the administration of U. fissa polysaccharide fraction, the prostates were excised, and the volumes were measured by water displacement. The prostatic volume showed significant decrease by 11 %, 15 %, and 21 % for the 30, 60, and 120 mg/kg/day U. fissa polysaccharide fraction treatment groups, respectively, compared to the control group. Histological observation found that U. fissa polysaccharide fraction inhibited the dog prostatic epithelial cells proliferation and enlarged glandular lumen diameter. The crude polysaccharide fraction of U. fissa is a possible new candidate for the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia.

Key words

Urtica fissa - Urticaceae - crude polysaccharide fraction - prostate hyperplasia - spontaneous canine benign prostatic hyperplasia

• References

• 1 Yu PL, Zheng H, Su HX. Prevalence of prostatic hyperplasia and its relative factors in six cities of China in 1997. Chin J Epidemiol 2000; 21: 276-279
• 2 Ester P, Massimiliano L, Michele G, Raffaele C. Phytotherapy of benign prostatic hyperplasia. A minireview. Phytother Res 2014; 28: 949-955
• 3 Chrubasik JE, Roufogalis BD, Wagner H, Chrubasik SAA. Comprehensive review on nettle effect and efficacy profiles, Part I: Herba urticae. Phytomedicine 2007; 14: 423-435
• 4 Chrubasik JE, Roufogalis BD, Wagner H, Chrubasik SAA. Comprehensive review on the stinging nettle effect and efficacy profiles. Part II: Urticae radix. Phytomedicine 2007; 14: 568-579
• 5 Akbay P, Basaran AA, Undeger U, Basaran N. In vitro immunomodulatory activity of flavonoid glycosides from Urtica dioica L. Phytother Res 2003; 17: 34-37
• 6 Hirano T, Homma M, Oka K. Effects of stinging nettle root extracts and their steroidal components on the Na⁺,K⁺-ATPase of the benign prostatic hyperplasia. Planta Med 1994; 60: 30-33
• 7 Schottner M, Gansser D, Spiteller G. Lignans from the roots of Urtica dioica and their metabolites bind to human sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG). Planta Med 1997; 63: 529-532
• 8 Budzianowski J. Caffeic acid esters from Urtica dioica and U. urens . Planta Med 1991; 57: 507
• 9 Wagner H, Willer F, Kreher B. Biologically active compounds from the aqueous extract of Urtica dioica . Planta Med 1989; 55: 452-454
• 10 Chaurasia N, Wichtl M. Flavonol glycosides from Urtica dioica . Planta Med 1987; 53: 432-434
• 11 Ganzera M, Piereder D, Sturm S, Erdelmeier C, Stuppner H. Urtica dioica agglutinin: separation, identification and quantitation of individual isolectins by capillary electrophoresis and capillary electrophoresis–mass spectrometry. Electrophoresis 2005; 26: 724-731
• 12 Lichius JJ, Lenz C, Lindemann P, Aumüller G, Konrad L. Antiproliferative effect of a polysaccharide fraction of a 20 % methanolic extract of stinging nettle roots upon epithelial cells of the human prostate (LNCaP). Pharmazie 1999; 54: 768-771
• 13 Lichius JJ, Renneberg H, Blaschek W, Aumüller G, Muth C. The inhibiting effects of components of stinging nettle roots on experimentally induced prostatic hyperplasia in mice. Planta Med 1999; 65: 666-668
• 14 Wagner H, Willer F, Samtleben R, Boos G. Search for the antiprostatic principle of stinging nettle (Urtica dioica) roots. Phytomedicine 1994; 1: 213-224
• 15 Zhang QL, Li L, Liu L, Li Y, Yuan L, Song L, Wu Z. Effects of the polysaccharide fraction of Urtica fissa on castrated rat prostate hyperplasia induced by testosterone propionate. Phytomedicine 2008; 15: 722-727
• 16 Mahapokai W, Sluijs FJ, Schalken JA. Models for studying benign prostatic hyperplasia. Prostate Cancer Prostatic Dis 2000; 3: 28-33
• 17 Li Y, Wang YL, Li L, Liu L, Lu YX, Cheng XC, Zhang QL. Structural characterization of polysaccharides from the roots of Urtica fissa . J Asian Nat Prod Res 2009; 11: 951-957
• 18 Wang YL, Li L, Cheng XC, Lu YX, Zhang QL. Structure of a polysaccharide from Urtica fissa determined by NMR spectra. J Asian Nat Prod Res 2012; 14: 592-595