Amelioration of testosterone induced benign prostatic hyperplasia by Prunus species.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is a common urological disorder of men. The ethnomedicinal use of an African plant Prunus africana (Hook.f.) Kalkman (Pygeum) in treating men's problems made it a popular remedy all over the globe for the treatment of BPH and related disorders. However, rampant collections made from the wild in Africa have pushed the plant to Appendix II of CITES demanding conservation of the species. AIM OF THE STUDY: In the present study, the aim was to unearth the protective effect of bark of different species of Prunus against BPH. The five selected Indian plants of family Rosaceae viz. Prunus amygdalus Stokes, Prunus armeniaca L., Prunus cerasoides Buch.-Ham. ex D. Don, Prunus domestica L. and Prunus persica (L.) Batsch were evaluated against P. africana (Hook.f.) Kalkman for a suitable comparison of efficacy as antiBPH agents. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The antiBPH activity was evaluated in testosterone (2mg/kg/day, s.c, 21 days) induced BPH in Wistar rats. The parameters studied were body weights; histopathological examination, immunohistochemistry (PCNA) and biochemical estimations of the prostate; supported by prostatic index, testicular index, creatinine, testosterone levels; antioxidant and anti-inflammatory evaluation. The study also included chemical profiling using three markers (ß-sitosterol, docosyl ferulate and ursolic acid) and estimation of ß-sitosterol content through GC. RESULTS: The Prunus species showed the presence of all the three markers in their TLC fingerprint profile and maximum amount of ß-sitosterol by GC was observed in P. domestica. Interestingly, all the species exhibited significant amelioration in testosterone induced parameters with P. domestica showing the most encouraging effect as indicated from histopathological examination, immunohistochemistry and biochemical studies. The Prunus species further showed remarkable anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activity signifying their role in interfering with various possible factors involved in BPH. CONCLUSIONS: These findings are suggestive of a meaningful inhibitory effect of testosterone induced BPH by the bark of different species of Prunus in the order of P. domestica, P. persica, P. amygdalus, P. cerasoides and P. armeniaca with an efficacy of P. domestica comparable to P. africana and can be used as the potential backup of Pygeum for the management of BPH.

Diuretics: a review and update.

Diuretics have been recommended as first-line treatment of hypertension and are also valuable in the management of hypervolemia and electrolyte disorders. This review summarizes the key features of the most commonly used diuretics. We then provide an update of clinical trials for diuretics during the past 5 years. Compared to other classes of medications, thiazide diuretics are at least as effective in reducing cardiovascular events (CVEs) in patients with hypertension and are more effective than ß-blockers and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors in reducing stroke. Observational cohort data and a network analysis have shown that CVEs are lowered by one-fifth from chlorthalidone when compared to the commonly used thiazide, hydrochlorothiazide. Relative to placebo, chlorthalidone increases life expectancy. In those aged 80 years and older, the diuretic, indapamide, lowers CVEs relative to placebo. The aldosterone antagonist, eplerenone, lowers total mortality in early congestive heart failure. The benefit of eplerenone following acute myocardial infarction (MI) is limited to administration within 3 to 6 days post-MI. Aldosterone antagonists have been shown to lower the incidence of sudden cardiac death and to reduce proteinuria. In the setting of heart failure, long acting loop diuretics azosemide and torasemide are more effective in improving heart failure outcomes than the far more commonly used short acting furosemide. Evening dosing of diuretics appears to lower CVEs relative to morning dosing. In conclusion, diuretics are a diverse class of drugs that remain extremely important in the management of hypertension and hypervolemic states.