Effects of Aqueous Fruit Extract of Annona muricata on Testosterone Propionate Induced Benign Prostate Hyperplasia (BPH) in Male Wistar Rats

Introduction: Benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH) is an age-related non-malignant prostate gland enlargement in men that leads to pain and difficulty voiding urine. The etiology of BPH is still unknown. Studies have been reported on the effects of Annona muricata (soursop) against benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) with little documentation.

Aim: This study aimed to determine the effects of aqueous fruit extract of A. muricata on testosterone propionate induced benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH) in male Wistar Rats.

Methodology: The fruits of A. muricata were processed to obtain fruit extract and phytoconstituents. An acute toxicity study was conducted with six doses of A. muricata fruit extract (10, 100, 1000, 1500, 2900 and 5000 mg/kg) to determine the safety and tolerability dose limit. A total of 48 adult male Wistar rats were used for the study. After 2 weeks of acclimatization, the animals were orchimetized. The rats were randomly divided into six groups of eight animals each; group 1 (normal control + sham treated + distilled water); groups 2 (positive control + castrated + TP/day); group 3 (finasteride (3 mg/kg) + castrated + TP/day); group 4 (100 mg/kg AM + castrated + TP/day); group 5 (200 mg/kg AM + castrated + TP/day) and group 6 (400 mg/kg AM + castrated + TP/day) for 42 days. On the 43rd day animals were euthanized, blood and prostate tissue samples were collected for biochemical and histological study.

Results: This study showed that, the extract significantly (p < 0.05) decreased both the prostate weight and testosterone levels in a dose-dependent manner compared to finasteride-treated rats. The effect of the extract on the histology of the prostate had significant recovery and was able to restore the enlarged prostate to near-normal in a dose-dependent manner. A significant (p < 0.05) recovery was observed at a higher dose (400 mg/kg) of the extracts.

Conclusion: The effects of Annona muricata (soursop) against benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) showed inhibitory potentials via decreased prostate weight, prostate specific antigen, and testosterone levels in a dose-dependent manner. At a high dose (400 mg/kg) body weight of rats had significant recovery (p < 0.05) restoring prostatic histoarchitecture to near-normal. This study suggests that Annona muricata fruit may be considered a treatment option for benign prostatic hyperplasia in men.