Treatment of experimentally induced benign prostatic hyperplasia with Tadalafil and castration in dogs

New methods are being developed for the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) in dogs. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of Tadalafil on the treatment of experimentally induced BPH in dogs. Twenty-five adult intact male dogs were randomly divided into five groups (n = 5): normal group; dogs induced with BPH and treated with Tadalafil (5 mg/day p.o.); dogs which received Tadalafil (5 mg/day p.o.); dogs induced with BPH and treated with castration; and dogs induced with BPH. For 4 sequential weeks, the hematologic and prostate-specific factors (dihydrotestosterone (DHT), serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA), serum prostatic acid phosphatase (PAP), and canine prostatic specific esterase (CPSE)) were measured. Significant differences were observed in the level of PSA, CPSE, and PAP concentration between the normal vs. BPH-Tadalafil, BPH-castrated, and BPH groups. Treating BPH-induced dogs with Tadalafil or castration significantly declined the serum PSA, CPSE, and PAP levels compared to those of the untreated BPH-induced group. The treatment of normal dogs with Tadalafil did not affect prostate-specific biomarkers in comparison with normal dogs. In conclusion, and according to the prostatic indices, it could be stated that Tadalafil, compared with castration, could be used for the treatment of BPH in dogs.