Abstract

Benign and uncontrolled growth of prostate gland is known as benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). It is a common health issue that affects 8% of all men at the age of 40, 60% of men in their 70s, and 90% of those greater than 80 years of age. In this study, we investigated whether a combination of lauric and myristic acid improved BPH in a testosterone propionate (TP)-induced model of BPH in rats. BPH was induced in the rats with a subcutaneous injection of TP (3 mg/kg) and combination of different doses of lauric acid and myristic acids given every consecutive day for 4 weeks. Combination of lauric and myristic acid led to significant reductions in prostate weight and dihydrotestosterone levels in the serum and prostate. Therefore, combination of lauric acid and myristic acid was effective in reducing TP-induced BPH in a rat model, and may be useful for the clinical treatment of patients with BPH.

Key words: Testosterone propionate, benign prostatic hyperplasia, testosterone, dihydrotestosteone.