Quercetin in Tonglong Qibi decoction ameliorates testosterone‐induced benign prostatic hyperplasia in rats by regulating Nrf2 signalling pathways and oxidative stress

Abstract

Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is a common urological disease in older males. Existing pharmacotherapy shows several side effects, and the exploration of new therapeutic strategies is of high significance. Tonglong Qibi (TQ) decoction was proved to ameliorate BPH, while the underlying mechanisms are still unclear. In the current study, we explored the anti-BPH effects of TQ in vivo and identified its main therapeutic component and the underlying mechanisms in vitro. We demonstrated that TQ mitigated BPH in rats and showed no toxicity to the liver and reproductive system. Network pharmacology identified quercetin as the main component in TQ treating BPH. Quercetin reduced proliferation, oxidative stress, and increased Nrf2 expression in hyperplastic prostate epithelial cells. These findings indicate that quercetin in TQ alleviates BPH via inhibiting oxidative stress and activating the Nrf2 signalling pathway.

Inhibitory effects of Centella asiatica (L.) Urban on enlarged prostate through androgen receptor and PI3K/Akt signaling pathways

“…This author suggested that the functional component of Tonglong Qibi decoction was quercetin, which inhibited the proliferation factor and induced apoptosis in RWPE-1 cells. 52 Therefore, it is suggested that components other than the previously reported triterpenes in CAA may also affect androgen receptor signaling and the PI3K/Akt pathway. However, the identification of biologically active compounds of CAA from the results of this experiment is still limited.…”