ABSTRACT

This study investigated the effect of crude methanol extract of Vernonia amygdalina (MEVA), MEVA fractions, post-induction crude MEVA and Finasteride®(BP-I standard drug) administration on laboratory induced benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) in male albino rats. Sixty (60) male albino rats aged between 10-12 weeks, divided into twelve (12) groups of five (5) rats each were used in this study. Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) was induced by subcutaneous injection of 9 mg/kg b. w. dihydrotestosterone (DHT) and 0.9 mg/kg b.w. estradiol valerate dissolved in olive oil every other day for 28 days. The groups received different treatments, 1(basal diet and water), 2( BPH induction and concomitant oral administration of 5 mg/kg, b.w. Finasteride®everyday for 28 days), 3(subcutaneous injection of body weight equivalent olive oil on alternate days for 28 days and daily oral dose, 4 (subcutaneous injection of olive oil and oral administration o1500 mg/kg b.w. crude MEVA everyday for 28 days), 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 ( BPH induction and concomitant oral administration of 100 mg/kg b. w. of MEVA fractions 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5), 10 (BPH induction and concomitant oral administration of 500 mg/kg b.w. of crude MEVA), 11( BPH induction and post-induction oral administration of 500 mg/kg b.w. of crude MEVA for 7 days),12 (BPH induction and olive oil). Biochemical parameters were assayed using standard procedure. The result was analyzed using SPSS version 17 statistical package for Windows. Mean body weight decreased significantly (p<O.0S) in Groups 5, 9 and 12 (160.82 ± 7.562; 150.52 ± 13.721 and 155.74 ± 25.341 respectively) compared with Groups 3, 4 and 10 (203.84 ± 36.696; 220.44 ± 14.672 and 194.85 ± 23.104 respectively. There was no significant difference between relative prostrate weights of groups 5,6, 9 and 10, relative prostate weight of group 2 rats increased significantly (p<O.OS) (0.0063 ± 0.0023) relative to all other groups except 10. Serum prostate specific antigen (PSA ng/ml) increased non significantly (p>O.05) in Group 8 (2.788 ± 0.698) relative to Groups 5, 6 7 and 9 (2.164 ± 0.627; 2.533 ± 0.305; 2.290 ± 0.142 and 2.218 ± 0.286 respectively). PSA concentrations did not differ significantly between groups 2, 11 and 10. Testosterone (ng/L) was significantly increased (p<O.05) in Group 6 (42.59 ± 6.416) but decreased significantly (p<O.05) in Group 4 (22.358 ± 9.589). Relative testis weight significantly decreased (p<0.05) in all BPH induced groups. Cholesterol (mmolfL) decreased significantly (p<O.05) in Group 9 (4.0 ± 0.33 7) while HDL-cholesterol (mmol/L) increased (0.85 ± 0.123) relative to Group 10 (5.58 ± 0.457 and 0.43 ± 0.126 respectively). In Group 2 cholesterol and LDL cholesterol decreased significantly (p<O.OS) (4.64 ± 0.219 and 3.12 ± 0.33 respectively)

while HDL-cholesterol increased significantly (p<0.05) (0.82 ± 0.179). These findings

suggest show that no fraction of MEVA showed a significantly different /higher BPH

modulatory activity suggesting that that crude MEVA produces its positive BPH modulatory

effect through synergistic action of various components acting through different BPH

pathological pathways rather than one bioactive component.