The inhibitory effect against 5-α reductase of the ethyl acetate (EA) extract from Physalis angulata was evaluated in vitro using mouse prostate homogenates, and the suppression of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) was assessed in a mouse model of testosterone-induced BPH. The EA extract exhibited a potentially inhibitory effect on 5-α reductase with an IC50 of 197 μg/ml. In BPH mice, the EA extract at a dose of 12 mg/kg was comparable to finasteride 5 mg/kg in suppressing BPH in terms of reducing absolute enlarged prostate weight (p < 0.05 vs. BPH group) and mitigating the hypertrophy of glandular elements and prostate connective tissue. Identification of chemical ingredients in the EA extract by UPLC-QTOF-MS revealed 37 substances belonging chiefly to flavonoids and physalins. Further quantification of the EA extract by HPLC-PDA methods revealed that chlorogenic acid, and rutin were the main components. Molecular docking studies of chlorogenic acid and rutin on 5-α reductase showed their high affinity to the enzyme with binding energies of -9.3 and - 9.2 kcal/mol, respectively compared with finasteride (- 10.3 kcal/mol). Additionally, chlorogenic acid inhibited 5-α reductase with an IC50 of 12.07 µM while rutin did not. The presence of chlorogenic acid in the EA extract may explain the inhibitory effects of the EA extract on 5-α reductase, and thus the suppression of BPH.
Keywords: 5-α reductase; Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH); Chlorogenic acid; Ethyl acetate extract; Finasteride; Physalis angulata.
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