Investigation of the effect of traditional Chinese medicine on pain and inflammation in chronic nonbacterial prostatitis in rats

Abstract

According to traditional Chinese medicine, the symptoms of chronic nonbacterial prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CNP/CPPS) may be treated using a cocktail of herbs that stimulate blood circulation ('activating blood circulation formula'). We investigated the effect of three doses of this formula on a rat model of CNP/CPPS. Male Wistar rats were injected with a saline extract of male sex accessory glands on days 0 and 30 to induce prostatitis and then treated daily by gavage between days 32 and 60. Treatment with low, medium and high doses of activating blood circulation formula resulted in an almost total rescue of paw withdrawal threshold at day 60, and treatment with the highest dose also significantly decreased prostate inflammation (assessed histopathologically). We further observed elevated serum prostaglandin E2 levels in the CNP/CPPS model which decreased upon high-dose treatment, and increased Cox-2 expression in the prostate and spinal cord dorsal horn which was rescued in both tissues in the high-dose group and in the prostate in the medium-dose group. These results shed light on a possible mechanism by which activating blood circulation therapy may alleviate pain in a rat model of CNP/CPPS by downregulating Cox-2 expression in the spinal cord, thereby raising the pain threshold. Further research will be needed to fully characterise the mechanism by which activating blood circulation therapy produces this therapeutic effect.

Graminex Pollen: Phenolic Pattern, Colorimetric Analysis and Protective Effects in Immortalized Prostate Cells (PC3) and Rat Prostate Challenged with LPS

“…Prostatitis, a general term describing prostate inflammation, is a common disease that could be sustained by bacterial or non-bacterial infectious agents [ 1 ]. Considering the inflammatory pathways involved in prostatitis, the efficacy of herbal extracts endowed with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects for reducing the burden of inflammation and oxidative stress, with possible improvements in clinical symptoms [ 2 , 3 ], is under investigation. Pollen extract has been previously reported as a promising natural product in managing clinical symptoms related to prostatitis [ 4 ].…”

The effectiveness ofHedyotis diffusaWilld extract in a mouse model of experimental autoimmune prostatitis

“…The H. diffusa Willd aqueous extraction was prepared according to the traditional Chinese decoction method (Cui et al, 2020;Liu et al, 2016). The H. diffusa Willd herb (60 g) was kept in the arenaceous boiler and soaked for 1 hr in 8 volumes of cold water before boiling.…”

Prostatitis No.1 traditional chinese medicine significantly exhibited anti-inflammation role on prostatitis through miR-205-5p/YES1

“…Yin deficiency and damp-heat, qi stagnation and blood stasis are the main pathogenic factors. By applying the unique diagnosis and treatment system of TCM to treat prostatitis, the clinical effect is remarkable (9). Recent studies have shown that the effective active ingredients in TCM can improve the blood supply of peripheral blood vessels and achieve the purpose of treatment (10).…”