Abstract
Background
Prostate cancer is an important public health problem. It is an excellent candidate disease for chemo-prevention because prostate cancer is typically slow growing and is usually diagnosed in elderly males. Pygeum africanum (Prunus africana or Rosaceae) is an African prune (plum) tree found in tropical Africa. An extract from the bark of Pygeum africanum has been used in Europe as a prevention and treatment of prostate disorders including benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH). More recently in the USA, the phytotherapeutic preparations of Pygeum africanum and Saw palmetto have been marketed for prostate health including prostate cancer prevention and treatment.
Methods
The anti-cancer potential of Pygeum africanum has been tested both in vitro (PC-3 and LNCaP cells) and in␣vivo (TRAMP mouse model).
Results
In tissue culture, ethanolic extracts (30%) of Pygeum africanum inhibited the growth of PC-3 and LNCaP cells; induced apoptosis and altered cell kinetics; down regulated ERα and PKC-α protein, and demonstrated good binding ability to both mouse uterine estrogen receptors and LNCaP human androgen receptors. TRAMP mice fed Pygeum africanum showed a significant reduction (P = 0.034) in prostate cancer incidence (35%) compared to casein fed mice (62.5%).
Conclusion
Pygeum africanum, which is widely used in Europe and USA for treatment of BPH, has a significant role in regulation of prostate cancer both in␣vitro and in␣vivo and therefore may be a useful supplement for people at high risk for developing prostate cancer.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
A. Jemal, R. Siegel, E. Ward, T. Murray, J. Xu, C. Smigal, M.J. Thun, CA Cancer J. Clin. 56, 106 (2006)
N.S. Shenouda, C. Zhou, J.D. Browning, P.J. Ansell, M.S. Sakla, D.B. Lubahn, R.S. Macdonald, Nutr. Cancer 49, 200 (2004)
A.J. Blumenfeld, N. Fleshner, B. Casselman, J. Trachtenberg, Can J Urol 7, 927 (2000), discussion 936
D.S. Michaud, K. Augustsson, E.B. Rimm, M.J. Stampfer, W.C. Willet, E. Giovannucci, Cancer Causes Control 12, 557 (2001)
L. Denis, M.S. Morton, K. Griffiths, Eur. Urol. 35, 377 (1999)
R.J. Miksicek, Proc. Soc. Exp. Biol. Med. 208, 44 (1995)
F.O. Stephens, Med J Aust 167, 138 (1997)
A. Ishani, R. MacDonald, D. Nelson, I. Rutks, T. Wilt, Am. J. Med. 109, 654 (2000)
R.M. Levin, A.K. Das, Urol. Res. 28, 201 (2000)
K.M. Strong, J. Herb. Pharmcother. 4, 41 (2004)
P.K. Gathumbi, J.W. Mwangi, G.M. Mugera, S.M. Njiro, Phytother. Res. 16, 244 (2002)
A. Barlet, J. Albrecht, A. Aubert, M. Fischer, F. Grof, H.G. Grothuesmann, J.C. Masson, E. Mazeman, R. Mermon, H. Reichelt et al., Wien. Klin. Wochenschr. 102, 667 (1990)
J. Breza, O. Dzurny, A. Borowka, T. Hanus, R. Petrik, G. Blane, H. Chadha-Boreham, Curr. Med. Res. Opin. 14, 127 (1998)
C. Carani, V. Salvioli, A. Scuteri, A. Borelli, A. Baldini, A.R. Granata, P. Marrama, Arch. Ital. Urol. Nefrol. Androl. 63, 341 (1991)
B. Dufour, C. Choquenet, M. Revol, G. Faure, R. Jorest, Ann. Urol. (Paris) 18, 193 (1984)
T. Krzeski, M. Kazon, A. Borkowski, A. Witeska, J. Kuczera, Clin. Ther. 15, 1011 (1993)
T. Wilt, A. Ishani, R. Mac Donald, I. Rutks, G. Stark, Cochrane Database Syst. Rev. CD001044 (2002)
A. Santa Maria Margalef, R. Paciucci Barzanti, J. Reventos Puigjaner, J. Morote Robles, T.M. Thomson Okatsu, Arch. Esp. Urol. 56, 369 (2003)
F. Yablonsky, V. Nicolas, J.P. Riffaud, F. Bellamy, J. Urol. 157, 2381 (1997)
M. Paubert-Braquet, A. Cave, R. Hocquemiller, D. Delacroix, C. Dupont, N. Hedef, P. Borgeat, J. Lipid Mediat. Cell Signal 9, 285 (1994)
G. Mathe, S. Orbach-Arbouys, E. Bizi, B. Court, Biomed. Pharmacother. 49, 339 (1995)
G. Mathe, M. Hallard, C.H. Bourut, E. Chenu, Biomed. Pharmacother. 49, 341 (1995)
K. Ahmed Samahan, Archivos Espanoles de Urologia, 33, 417 (1980)
K. Dreikorn, World J Urol 19, 426 (2002)
K. Dreikorn, R. Berges, L. Pientka, U. Jonas, Urologe A 41, 447 (2002)
G.S. Gerber, Curr. Urol. Rep. 3, 285 (2002)
A.B. Awad, C.S. Fink, J. Nutr. 130, 2127 (2000)
R.R. Berges, A. Kassen, A. Senge, BJU International 85, 842 (2000)
T. Wilt, A. Ishani, R. MacDonald, G. Stark, C. Mulrow, J. Lau, Cochrane Database Syst. Rev. CD001043 (2000)
T. Wilt, A. Ishani, I. Rutks, R. MacDonald, Public Health Nutr. 3(4A), 459 (2000)
R. L. von Holtz, C.S. Fink, A.B. Awad, Nutr. Cancer 32, 8 (1998)
A.B. Awad, Y. Gan, C.S. Fink, Nutr. Cancer 36, 74 (2000)
A.B. Awad, C.S. Fink, H. Williams, U. Kim, Eur. J. Cancer Prev. 10, 507 (2001)
A. Kassen, R. Berges, T. Senge, Eur. Urol. 37, 735 (2000)
A. Cassidy, Int. J. Vitam. Nutr. Res. 73, 120 (2003)
W.S. Branham, S.L. Dial, C.L. Moland, B.S. Hass, R.M. Blair, H. Fang, L. Shi, W. Tong, R.G. Perkins, D.M. Sheehan, J. Nutr. 132, 658 (2002)
F. Cao, T.Y. Jin, Y.F. Zhou, Biomed. Environ. Sci. 19, 35 (2006)
S.M. Ho, J. Cell. Biochem. 91, 491 (2004)
M.S. Steiner, S. Raghow, World J. Urol. 21, 31 (2003)
M. Lahn, K. Sundell, M. Gleave, F. Ladan, C. Su, S. Li, D. Ma, B.M. Paterson, T.F. Bumol, BJU Int. 93, 1076 (2004)
N. Greenberg-Ofrath, Y. Terespolosky, I. Kahane, R. Bar, Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 59, 547 (1993)
V.A. Blakesley, T. Kalebic, L.J. Helman, B. Stannard, T.N. Faria, C.T. Roberts Jr., D. LeRoith, Endocrinology 137, 410 (1996)
D.B. Lubahn, D.R. Joseph, P.M. Sullivan, H.F. Willard, F.S. French, E.M. Wilson, Science 240, 327 (1988)
J.Y. Guo, X. Li, J.D. Browning Jr., G.E. Rottinghaus, D.B. Lubahn, A. Constantinou, M. Bennink, R.S. MacDonald, J. Nutr. 134, 179 (2004)
B.A. Foster, J.R. Gingrich, E.D. Kwon, C. Madias, N.M. Greenberg, Cancer Res. 57, 3325 (1997)
N.M. Greenberg, F.J. DeMayo, P.C. Sheppard, R. Barrios, R. Lebovitz, M. Finegold, R. Angelopoulou, J.G. Dodd, M.L. Duckworth, J.M. Rosen, R.J. Matusik, Mol. Endocrinol. 8, 230 (1994)
S.R. Downing, P.J. Russell, P. Jackson, Can. J. Urol. 10, 1924 (2003)
I. Hernandez, L.A. Maddison, Y. Wei, F. DeMayo, T. Petras, B. Li, J.R. Gingrich, J.M. Rosen, N.M. Greenberg, Mol. Cancer. Res. 1, 1036 (2003)
P.J. Kaplan-Lefko, T.M. Chen, M.M. Ittmann, R.J. Barrios, G.E. Ayala, W.J. Huss, L.A. Maddison, B.A. Foster, N.M. Greenberg, Prostate 55, 219 (2003)
S.B. Shappell, G.V. Thomas, R.L. Roberts, R. Herbert, M.M. Ittmann, M.A. Rubin, P.A. Humphrey, J.P. Sundberg, N. Rozengurt, R. Barrios, J.M. Ward, R.D. Cardiff, Cancer Res. 64, 2270 (2004)
Acknowledgments
We would like to thank Dr. Wendy Applequest, Missouri Botanical Gardens for her kind assistance in obtaining the Pygeum africanum extract. We appreciate the help of Dr. George Rottinghaus, Department of Analytical chemistry, University of Missouri-Columbia in making the ethanol extract of Pygeum africanum. This work was supported by the Missouri University Center for Phytonutrient and Phytochemical Studies (MUCCPS), NIH Grant # P01-ES510535 and NIH grant # R01AT002978.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Shenouda, N.S., Sakla, M.S., Newton, L.G. et al. Phytosterol Pygeum africanum regulates prostate cancer in vitro and in vivo . Endocr 31, 72–81 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12020-007-0014-y
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12020-007-0014-y