Abstract
Qianlongtong is a compound made from traditional Chinese herbs and it has proven to be very effective to treat patients with benign prostate hypertrophy. However, its mechanism is still unknown. This study is designed to investigate the effect of Qianlongtong on proliferation and apoptosis of hyperplastic prostate cells. Flow cytometry (FCM) and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) were used to assess proliferation and apoptosis of hyperplastic prostate cells in the following groups: control group, tamoxifen group, and groups with low, moderate, and high dosage of Qianlongtong. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction analysis was used to investigate the underlying mechanisms for increased apoptosis. Cells treated with Qianlongtong were mainly blocked in the G0/G1 phase. The apoptotic index of each group was significantly higher than that in the control group. The apoptotic index in the high- and moderate-dosage groups was similar to that in the tamoxifen group. The high- and moderate-dosage groups had lower Bcl-2 and higher Bax messenger RNA (mRNA) levels compared with the control group. Qianlongtong inhibits proliferation and promotes the apoptosis of hyperplastic prostate cells.