PMID- 34984064 OWN - NLM STAT- PubMed-not-MEDLINE LR - 20220429 IS - 1654-661X (Print) IS - 1654-661X (Electronic) IS - 1654-661X (Linking) VI - 65 DP - 2021 TI - Phytosterols in hull-less pumpkin seed oil, rich in ∆(7)-phytosterols, ameliorate benign prostatic hyperplasia by lowing 5alpha-reductase and regulating balance between cell proliferation and apoptosis in rats. LID - 10.29219/fnr.v65.7537 [doi] AB - BACKGROUND: Pumpkin seed oil is widely used to treat benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), a common disease in elder men. However, its active components and mechanism have remained to be elucidated. OBJECTIVE: The objective of the present study was to investigate the active components of pumpkin seed oil and its mechanism against BPH. DESIGN: Total phytosterol (TPS) was isolated from hull-less pumpkin (Cucurbita pepo L. var. Styriaca) seed oil and analyzed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Three phytosterols were purified by preparative HPLC (high performance liquid chromatography) and confirmed by NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance). TPS (3.3 mg/kg body weight, 1 mL/day/rat) was administered intragastrically to the testosterone propionate-induced BPH rats for 4 weeks. The structure changes of prostate tissues were assessed by hematoxylin & eosin (H&E) staining. The expression of androgen receptor (AR) and steroid receptor coactivator 1 (SRC-1) was analyzed by immunohistochemistry, while that of 5alpha-reductase (5AR), apoptosis, or proliferation-related growth factors/proteins was detected by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction or western blotting. RESULTS: The ∆(7)-phytosterols in TPS reached up to 87.64%. Among them, 24beta-ethylcholesta-7,22,25-trienol, 24beta-ethylcholesta-7,25(27)-dien-3-ol, and ∆(7)-avenasterol were confirmed by NMR. TPS treatment significantly ameliorated the pathological prostate enlargement and restored histopathological alterations of prostate in BPH rats. It effectively suppressed the expressions of 5AR, AR, and coactivator SRC-1. TPS inhibited the expression of proliferation-related growth factor epidermal growth factor, whereas it increased the expressions of apoptosis-related growth factor/gene transforming growth factor-beta1. The proliferation-inhibiting effect was achieved by decreasing the ERK (extracellular signal-regulated kinase) phosphorylation, while apoptosis was induced by Caspase 3 activation through JNK (c-Jun N-terminal kinase) and p38 phosphorylation. CONCLUSION: TPS from hull-less pumpkin seed oil, with ∆(7)-phytosterols as its main ingredients, is a potential nutraceutical for BPH prevention. CI - (c) 2021 Xin-cong Kang et al. FAU - Kang, Xin-Cong AU - Kang XC AD - Horticulture College, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, Hunan, P. R. China. AD - Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Crop Germplasm Innovation and Utilization, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, Hunan, P. R. China. AD - State Key Laboratory of Subhealth Intervention Technology, Changsha, Hunan, P. R. China. AD - Hunan Co-Innovation Center for Utilization of Botanical Functional Ingredients, Changsha, Hunan, P. R. China. AD - These authors contributed equally to this work. FAU - Chen, Tian AU - Chen T AD - Horticulture College, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, Hunan, P. R. China. AD - These authors contributed equally to this work. FAU - Zhou, Jia-Li AU - Zhou JL AD - Horticulture College, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, Hunan, P. R. China. FAU - Shen, Peng-Yuan AU - Shen PY AD - Horticulture College, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, Hunan, P. R. China. FAU - Dai, Si-Hui AU - Dai SH AD - Horticulture College, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, Hunan, P. R. China. FAU - Gao, Chang-Qing AU - Gao CQ AD - Department of Laboratory Animals, Xiang Ya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, P. R. China. FAU - Zhang, Jia-Yin AU - Zhang JY AD - Horticulture College, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, Hunan, P. R. China. AD - Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Crop Germplasm Innovation and Utilization, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, Hunan, P. R. China. AD - State Key Laboratory of Subhealth Intervention Technology, Changsha, Hunan, P. R. China. FAU - Xiong, Xing-Yao AU - Xiong XY AD - Horticulture College, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, Hunan, P. R. China. AD - Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Crop Germplasm Innovation and Utilization, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, Hunan, P. R. China. AD - Institute of Vegetables and Flowers, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, P. R. China. FAU - Liu, Dong-Bo AU - Liu DB AD - Horticulture College, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, Hunan, P. R. China. AD - Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Crop Germplasm Innovation and Utilization, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, Hunan, P. R. China. AD - State Key Laboratory of Subhealth Intervention Technology, Changsha, Hunan, P. R. China. AD - Hunan Co-Innovation Center for Utilization of Botanical Functional Ingredients, Changsha, Hunan, P. R. China. LA - eng PT - Journal Article DEP - 20211202 PL - Sweden TA - Food Nutr Res JT - Food & nutrition research JID - 101488795 PMC - PMC8693601 OTO - NOTNLM OT - 5alpha-reductase inhibitor OT - Curcurbita pepo OT - MAPK pathway OT - apoptosis OT - lower urinary tract symptoms OT - phytochemicals OT - proliferation COIS- The authors declare no potential conflicts of interest. The authors have not received any funding or benefits from industry or elsewhere to conduct this study. EDAT- 2022/01/06 06:00 MHDA- 2022/01/06 06:01 PMCR- 2021/12/02 CRDT- 2022/01/05 05:55 PHST- 2021/01/20 00:00 [received] PHST- 2021/04/28 00:00 [revised] PHST- 2021/05/21 00:00 [accepted] PHST- 2022/01/05 05:55 [entrez] PHST- 2022/01/06 06:00 [pubmed] PHST- 2022/01/06 06:01 [medline] PHST- 2021/12/02 00:00 [pmc-release] AID - 7537 [pii] AID - 10.29219/fnr.v65.7537 [doi] PST - epublish SO - Food Nutr Res. 2021 Dec 2;65. doi: 10.29219/fnr.v65.7537. eCollection 2021.