Inhibitory Effect of Thymoquinone on Testosterone-Induced Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia in Wistar Rats

This study addresses the possible protective effects of thymoquinone (TQ) against the development of experimentally-induced benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) in Wistar rats. Eighteen adult male rats were divided into three groups; the negative control group (n = 6) received vehicle, and two groups received subcutaneous testosterone injection (3 mg/kg). Animals receiving testosterone were randomized to untreated BPH group (n = 6) and BPH + TQ treated group (n = 6, 50 mg/kg orally for 14 days). Histological changes and the mRNA levels of transforming growth factor-β₁ (TGF-β₁ ) and vascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGF-A) were analyzed. Additionally, dihydrotestosterone and interleukin-6 (IL-6) serum levels were determined. The presented research shows significant increases in prostate weight/body weight ratio, prostate epithelial thickness, serum IL-6 and dihydrotestosterone levels, and the prostatic expressions of TGF-β₁ and VEGF-A in the untreated BPH rats. Histological examination of the prostate tissues in the BPH rats showed an elevated level of proliferation in the stromal area and glandular epithelia with abundant intraluminal papillary folds. However, a reduction in prostate weight/body weight ratio, epithelial hyperplasia, serum IL-6 levels, and the expressions of TGF-β₁ and VEGF-A were observed in the BPH + TQ treated rats compared with the untreated BPH rats. The findings support TQ as a useful natural treatment for animal BPH model. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.