Open Access
ARTICLE
Capsaicin exerts anti-benign prostatic hyperplasia effects via inhibiting androgen receptor signaling pathway
ZICHEN SHAO1,2,#, CHUNG-YI CHEN3,#, XUZHOU CHEN1, HANWU CHEN1, MENGQIAO SU1,2, HUI SUN1,2, YIDAN LI1,2, BINGHUA TU1, ZITONG WANG1, CHI-MING LIU1,*
1 School of Medicine, Yichun University, Yichun, 336000, China
2 College of Chemistry and Bio-Engineering, Yichun University, Yichun, 336000, China
3 School of Medical and Health Sciences, Fooyin University, Kaohsiung, 83102, Taiwan
* Corresponding Author: CHI-MING LIU. Email:
BIOCELL 2023, 47(6), 1389-1396. https://doi.org/10.32604/biocell.2023.028222
Received 06 December 2022; Accepted 10 February 2023; Issue published 19 May 2023
Abstract
Background: Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is a common condition in middle-aged and elderly men. Enlargement of the prostate causes lower urinary tract symptoms. Capsaicin is a phytochemical extracted from chili peppers and exerts many pharmacological actions, such as anti-tumor and anti-inflammatory effects.
Methods: Our study investigated the effect of capsaicin
in vitro and in a mouse model
in vivo. A prostatic stromal myofibroblast cell line (WPMY-1) was co-incubated with testosterone (1 µM) and different concentrations of capsaicin (10–100 µM) for 24 and 48 h. Capsaicin (10–100 µM) significantly inhibited testosterone-treated WPMY-1 cell growth at 48 h by MTT assay. The testosterone propionate (7.5 mg/kg)-induced BPH mouse model was used to examine the anti-proliferative effect of capsaicin. Treatment with capsaicin (10 mg/kg) for 14 days significantly attenuated prostatic hyperplasia. Finasteride was used as a positive control.
Results: Capsaicin significantly decreased prostate weight and prostate index (prostate/body weight ratio) in BPH mice. The expression of 5α-reductase type II, androgen receptor (AR) and prostate specific antigen (PSA) protein expression and PSA serum were all significantly reduced in capsaicin-treated BPH mice. In addition, capsaicin also activated transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 mediated apoptosis and autophagy in BPH mice.
Conclusion: These results demonstrate multiple positive effects of capsaicin in controlling prostate growth and suggest its therapeutic potential in the treatment of BPH.
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Cite This Article
SHAO, Z., CHEN, C., CHEN, X., CHEN, H., SU, M. et al. (2023). Capsaicin exerts anti-benign prostatic hyperplasia effects via inhibiting androgen receptor signaling pathway.
BIOCELL, 47(6), 1389–1396.