Effect of Picriafel-terrae merr. leaves extract on VEGF, interleukin-6, prostate index, and histopathology in obesity rats with benign prostate hyperplasia

Benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH) is a life-threatening condition that primarily affects geriatric patients, with obesity serving as a major risk factor. Several studies have also reported the role of obesity as a risk factor for other chronic non-communicable diseases, such as cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the effect of Picriafel-terrae Merr (PF) leaf extract on rat-induced obesity and BPH. The sample population comprised male Wistar rats, which were randomly divided into 5 different groups. Group 1 (G1) served as the normal, Group 2 (G2) was the negative control consisting of obese rats with BPH and treated with PF extract, while Group 3 (G3) was the positive control administered 1 mg/kg BW finasteride. In addition, Groups 4 (G4) and 5 (G5) were administered PF extract at varying doses of 100 mg/kg BW and 200 mg/kg BW, respectively. During the experiment, the test rats received subcutaneous injections of 10 mg/kg BW testosterone for 4 weeks, followed by a high-fat diet for 12 weeks and oral administration of PF extract for 10 days. The prostate index was then calculated and examined histopathologically, followed by ELISA for the detection of interleukin-6 and Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF). The results showed a statistically significant increase in interleukin-6 levels (p=0.024), prostate index scores (p<0.001), and histopathological examination of the prostate epithelial and stromal cells (p<0.001). However, VEGF levels were not affected by the administration of PF extract (p=0.274). Based on these results, PF extract could reduce the prostate index markers and prostate histopathology in obese Wistar rats with BPH.