In a randomised, double-blind study, involving 53 patients over a 3-month period, the preparation Curbicin, obtained from pumpkin (Cucurbita pepo) seeds and dwarf palm plant (Sabal serrulata), was found to alleviate symptoms caused by prostatic hyperplasia (Carbin et al. 1990). Urinary flow, micturition time, residual urine, frequency of micturition and a subjective assessment of the effect of treatment were all significantly ameliorated in the treatment group. No undesirable side effects were observed. Gossell-Willimas et al. (2006) reported that testosterone significantly increased prostate size ratio, and this induced increase was inhibited in rats fed with pumpkin (C. pepo) seed oil at 2.0 mg/100 g of body weight in a 20-day study. The protective effect of pumpkin seed oil was significant at the higher pumpkin seed oil concentration. They concluded that pumpkin seed oil could inhibit testosterone- induced hyperplasia of the prostate and therefore may be beneficial in the management of benign prostatic hyperplasia.
Tsai et al. (2006) reported that the ventral pros- tate glands of rats treated with testosterone/prazosin (T-P) became hyperplastic compared with rats in the control or vehicle treated (pumpkin seed oil alone or in combination with phytosterol- F). Compared with the control or vehicle group, T-P rats had a significantly higher prostatic weight-to-body weight ratio for the ventral pros- tate, but not for the dorsolateral prostate. The T-P rats had significantly higher protein levels within both lobes. When compared with the T-P-alone rats, the T-P rats treated with pumpkin seed oil alone or pumpkin seed oil combined with phytos- terol-F exhibited a significantly lower weight ratio for the ventral prostate and significantly lower protein levels within both lobes. Further, phytos- terol-F had some additive effect on the total pro- tein synthesis within the ventral prostate. They concluded that pumpkin seed oil alone or com- bined with phytosterol-F could thwart the T-P- induced increases in prostatic weight-to-body weight ratio and protein synthesis.
Studies showed that citral significantly increased prostate weight in rats but, pumpkin seeds significantly inhibited enlarged prostate especially at high seed dose (10%) level (Abdel- Rhaman 2006). Results indicated that pumpkin seeds could alleviate the signs of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) such as decrease of protein binding prostate contents, weight of ventral prostate size, improved histology of testis that may be beneficial in the management of mild stage of benign prostatic hyperplasia. Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is a common disease in elderly men. Although it is a non-malignant disease, it can have a significant impact on the quality of life of elderly men.
T.K. Lim, Edible Medicinal And Non-Medicinal Plants: Volume 2, Fruits,
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