The Effects of 1,8-Cineole Treatment on Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia in Rats.

Abstract

Background: Benign prostatic hyperplasia is a non-malignant growth of the prostate gland; it's the most common prostatic growth in aging men. 1,8-cineole is a natural compound that is extracted from the essential oil of several aromatic plants including Eucalyptus spp. Recent studies have demonstrated the anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anticancer activities of 1,8-cineole. This study aims to investigate the effects of 1,8-cineole treatment on the development of BPH induced by testosterone in rats.

Method: Thirty adult male rats were divided into three groups (n=10): a control group, an untreated BPH group that received subcutaneous injections of testosterone (3 mg/kg), and a BPH+cineole group that received 50 mg/kg of cineole intraperitoneally in addition to testosterone for 21 days. Histological changes, serum testosterone, and dihydrotestosterone (DHT) levels, prostatic tissue content of the inflammatory biomarkers interleukin 1 beta (IL-1β) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), oxidative stress biomarkers superoxide dismutase (SOD) and malondialdehyde (MDA), angiogenesis biomarker vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF-A), cellular proliferation biomarker proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), transforming growth factor beta-1 (TGF-β1), and pro-apoptotic (Bax) and anti-apoptotic (Bcl-2) genes were analyzed.

Results: Cineole treatment led to a reduction in the prostate weight-to-body weight ratio, as well as the restoration of histopathological changes caused by testosterone. Cineole treatment reduced the serum levels of testosterone and DHT, and the prostatic tissue levels of IL-1β, TNF-α, VEGF-A, PCNA, and TGF-β1 compared to those in the BPH group. Additionally, cineole treatment enhanced the SOD activity and decreased the MDA levels in the prostate tissue. Finally, the mRNA expression of the Bax was increased, while the expression of the Bcl-2 was decreased by cineole.

Conclusion: Our results highlight the effectiveness of cineole in preventing BPH development in rats. This preventive effect was attributed to the regulation of inflammatory responses, oxidative stress, cellular proliferation, and apoptosis.