Impact of Cernitin™ on induced chronic prostatitis in animal model for understanding management of lower urinary tract symptoms

Abstract

Background: Cernitin™ pollen extracts (brand name Cernilton®) alleviates symptoms related to common lower uro-genital tract disorders in men. The underlying mechanisms are ill-defined but the inflammatory pathway could be one of them. In a previous in vitro study it was shown that Cernitin™ induce a regulatory effect on inflammatory parameters. Methods: In this study, male Sprague Dawley rats were used to validate the effects of Cernitin™ in chronic prostatitis and benign prostatic hyperplasia. Pain was assessed by von Frey assay. Results: Cernitin™ exhibited significant pain relief in the induced prostatitis rat model and was associated with a significant decrease in the intraprostatic level of COX-2 and MCP-1 in the prostatic tissue homogenates. In a parallel study, Cernitin™ treatment led to a significant decrease in prostate weight in rats with testosterone induced BPH. Concurrently, a significant decrease in the percentage of proliferation marker, Ki-67, and androgen receptor expressing cells was observed. Similarly, a low level of cytoplasmic 5α-reductase expression was observed in Cernitin™- and finasteride-treated animals. Conclusion: The current in vivo experiments support the use of Cernitin™ as an anti-inflammatory and symptom reducing agent that could, in part, explain the impact of Cernitin™ on the management of chronic pelvic pain in men.

Keywords

• Cernitin™
• Cernilton®
• Prostatitis
• Cytokines
• Benign prostatic hyperplasia