Effect of Paecilomyces tenuipes Extract on Testosterone-Induced Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia in Sprague-Dawley Rats.

: Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is one of the major public health concerns, which has a high prevalence rate and causes significant decline in men's quality of life. BPH is highly related to sexual hormone metabolism and aging. In particular, dihydrotestosterone (DHT), to which testosterone is modified by 5α-reductase (5AR), has a significant effect on BPH development. DHT binds to an androgen receptor (AR) and steroid receptor coactivator 1 (SRC-1); then, it induces the proliferation of a prostate cell and expression of prostate specific antigen (PSA). Paecilomyces tenuipes (P. tenuipes) is a mushroom that has been popularized by the artificial cultivation of fruiting bodies based on silkworms by researchers from the Republic of Korea. In a previous study, we identified the effect of PE on PSA mRNA expression in LNCaP cells. This suggests that PE may have an inhibitory effect on androgen signaling. Therefore, we confirmed the expression of androgen signaling-related factors, such as AR, SRC-1, and PSA in LNCaP. Furthermore, we confirmed the androgen signaling inhibitory effect of PE using the testosterone propionate (TP)-induced BPH rat model. A BPH rat model was established with a four-week treatment of daily subcutaneous injections of testosterone propionate (TP, 3 mg/kg) dissolved in corn oil after castration. The rats in the treatment group were orally gavaged P. tenuipes extract (PE), finasteride (Fi), or saw palmetto extract (Saw) with TP injection. DHT induced an increase in the expression levels of AR, SRC-1, and PSA proteins in LNCaP cells. On the contrary, the PE treatment reduced the expression levels. In vivo, the BPH group showed an increase in prostate size compared with the control group. The PE gavaged group showed a decrease in prostate size compared with the BPH group. In addition, the protein expressions of AR, 5AR2, and PSA were significantly lower in the PE gavaged group than BPH group in prostate tissue. These results suggest the beneficial effects of PE on BPH via the modulation of AR signaling pathway.

Taurine Attenuates Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition-Related Genes in Human Prostate Cancer Cells.

Prostate cancer is the most common non-cutaneous cancers among men and the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths among men. Aberrant activation of the epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) has been exhibited to be one of the most common causes of treatment failure and death in cancer patients. In cancer cells with metastatic competence, the E-cadherin switch is a well-established hallmark. Suppression of E-cadherin through its transcriptional repressor SNAIL is thus a determining factor for EMT. TWIST1 is an important transcription factor in EMT, which is present under both physiologic (embryogenesis) and pathologic (metastasis) conditions, and enhances the invasiveness and migration ability of cells. In this study, we investigated the inhibitory effects of taurine on EMT-related genes, such as E-cadherin, N-cadherin, TWIST1, ZEB1, SNAIL, and vimentin. EMT markers were detected by RT-PCR and western blotting. The results showed that taurine down-regulated the expression of N-cadherin, TWIST1, ZEB1, SNAIL, and vimentin. In contrast, taurine increased E-cadherin expression. Our findings indicate that taurine has EMT inhibitory effects on human prostate cancer cells.

Protective Effect of Taurine on Mice with Doxorubicin-induced Acute Kidney Injury.

Nephrotic syndrome is still a therapeutic challenge because an effective treatment has not been developed. Evidence suggests that multidrug therapy is more effective than monotherapy in amelioration of renal injury. Therefore, we examined if taurine exerts a protective effect on doxorubicin-induced acute kidney injury in mice. Eight-week-old male Balb/c nude mice were used in this study. Taurine was orally administered at a dose of 50 mg/kg and 100 mg/kg body weight for 5 days. In the meantime, the mice were administered intraperitoneal injections of doxorubicin at 15 mg/kg body weight. At 24 h after the doxorubicin challenge, the response in the taurine-treated mice was compared with that in the vehicle-treated control mice. The doxorubicin-induced acute kidney injury model displayed a significant increase in the renal expression of apoptosis-related proteins (p53, phospho-p53, caspase 9, and caspase 3), whereas in the taurine-treated mice, the augmented expression of renal inflammation-related mRNAs such as NF-kB, COX-2, and iNOS was down-regulated. These results suggest that taurine acts as a renoprotective agent by inhibiting apoptosis and inflammation in the kidney of mice with doxorubicin-induced renal injury.

Heat-Killed Enterococcus faecalis EF-2001 Ameliorates Atopic Dermatitis in a Murine Model.

Recent reports have shown the immunomodulatory effect of heat-killed lactic acid bacteria. Atopic dermatitis (AD) is an allergic skin disease, caused by immune dysregulation among other factors. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of heat-killed Enterococcus faecalis EF-2001 (EF-2001) on AD. We established an in vivo AD model by repeated local exposure of Dermatophagoides farinae extract (DFE; house dust mite extract) and 2,4-dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB) to the ears of mice. After oral administration of EF-2001 for four weeks, the epidermal and dermal ear thickness, mast cell infiltration, and serum immunoglobulin levels were measured. In addition, the gene expression levels of pathogenic cytokines in the ears, lymph nodes, and splenocytes were assayed. EF-2001 attenuated AD symptoms based on the ear thickness, histopathological analysis, and serum immunoglobulin levels. Moreover, EF-2001 decreased the DFE/DNCB-induced expression of various pathogenic cytokines in the ears, lymph nodes, and splenocytes. These results suggest that EF-2001 has therapeutic potential in the treatment of AD owing to its immunomodulatory effects.