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Therapeutic Effects of Pine Pollen on Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH)

Paper Title: Research on the Therapeutic Effect of Pine Pollen on Prostatic Hypertrophy (BPH) in Rats. Cong Tao (2005).


Objective

To study the therapeutic effects of Pine Pollen on rat benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH), also known as an enlarged prostate, and understand the disease mechanism of BPH.

Study Methodology and Design

Twenty-four SD rats were randomly divided into three groups. The three groups were fed a normal diet. The second and third groups were given supplements of three starch tablets (as a placebo) and three pine pollen tablets per day, respectively. Group two and group three were fed in conjunction with group one.

After two weeks of feeding, groups two and three received an injection of testosterone propionate (4 mg/kg) mixed with olive oil, while group one was injected with olive oil alone (1 mL/kg). Two weeks later, sample slices of the prostate were observed, and the sex hormones, trace elements, zinc, copper, and antioxidant enzymes were extracted from the blood serum, prostate, and liver.

The study results indicate that the group who consumed Pine Pollen exhibited significantly better prostate hyperplasia symptoms compared to the placebo group.

The study found that group three had lower testosterone levels than group two, but no significant difference from the control group. Additionally, the level of estradiol in the blood serum of rats in group three was the lowest. The experiment suggests that Pine Pollen consumption could alleviate BPH symptoms and regulate sex hormone balance as a preventive measure.

Results from Groups 1-3

Currently, the index used to measure the degree of benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH) is through prostate index blood tests and biopsy. The results above indicate that the Pine Pollen group of rats had significantly lower prostate weight, prostate index, and prostate cell proliferation than the placebo group, demonstrating that Pine Pollen has a preventive and therapeutic effect on BPH (Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia).

It is widely accepted that three biochemical mechanisms can cause BPH: male sex hormones, estrogen hormones, and growth factors. The results of the experiment above revealed that the serum testosterone content of the BPH rats significantly increased due to the injection of testosterone propionate.

The Pine Pollen group of rats had a lower testosterone level compared to the placebo group of rats, and their serum estrogen level was also lower than the other two groups. These differences show that Pine Pollen can effectively control rats' serum testosterone level and adjust the serum estrogen level as well.

Conclusion and Significance

These two effects can help reduce hyperplastic prostate, leading to better treatment results without side effects. The use of this male andro-gamete plant (Pine Pollen) in treating sex organ diseases is consistent with the therapeutic principles of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Furthermore, we conducted in vitro proliferation experiments on various cell sources using Pine Pollen. The outcomes indicate that Pine Pollen can repress the growth of prostate cells, while non-prostate cells were unaffected. This reveals that Pine Pollen has a specific inhibitory impact on the proliferation of prostatic cells, and is more effective on hormone insensitive cells than on hormone-dependent cells.

The Pine Pollen group showed lower levels of blood urea, nitrogen, and blood sugar in prostatic hyperplasia rats compared to the control group, according to biochemical analysis. Creatinine levels also showed a decreasing trend. This suggests that the liver function of prostatic hyperplasia rats was somewhat affected, leading to decreased liver function. The Pine Pollen group of rats had a distinct decrease in weight, serum cholesterol, and triglyceride levels compared to the control group. This indicates that Pine Pollen, in addition to the positive effects on BHP, has a positive overall clinical significance for middle-aged men.