Effects of Exercise on Serum Inflammatory Markers and NF-kb, COX-2 mRNA Expression in Prostate of BPH-Induced Mice

Abstract

PURPOSE Benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH) is a common finding in older men and a frequent cause of lower urinary tract symptoms. The efficacy of exercise in the management of BPH-related inflammation is not fully understood. Thus, we investigated the effects of exercise on inflammatory markers in a mouse model of BPH. METHODS A total of 36 male C57BL/6 mice were divided into three groups; CON (sham control, n=12), BPH-CON (received testosterone propionate [TP] control, n=12), and BPH-EXE (TP+aerobic exercise group, n=12). For BPH induction, mice were castrated and testosterone propionate (3 mg/kg/day) was administered by subcutaneous injection. The exercise group was forced to run on a treadmill for 30 minutes 3 times per week for 12 weeks. RESULTS The BPH-CON group showed significantly increased blood pro-inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin-6, -1β, and TNF-α compared with CON (p<.05). Furthermore, NF-kb and COX-2 mRNA expression were significantly increased in prostate tissue (p<.05). In contrast, the BPH-EXE group exhibited a significant decrease in IL-1β and TNF-α cytokines and NF-kb and COX-2 mRNA, but a significant increase in SOD activity when compared to the BPH-CON group (p<.05). CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that inflammation may be an important factor for the prevention and management of BPH, and that exercise may contribute to the alleviation of inflammation in the blood and prostate tissues of men with BPH.

Keywords

• benign prostatic hypertrophy
• cytokines
• antioxidant enzyme
• exercise