Effects of Serenoa repens Alcohol Extract on Benign Prostate Hyperplasia

An increasing tendency has recently emerged for the use of phytotherapeutic agents as alternative to commercial pharmacological agents for the treatment of benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH). The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effects of Serenoa repens alcohol extract treatment on BPH patients’ symptoms and major parameters during one-year follow-up.

The study was performed on 70 men aged 40 - 79 years (mean 60.58) with symptomatic BPH that were divided into a group of 40 patients treated with Serenoa repens extract (SRT) and a control group of 30 patients that received no treatment and were observed only. The following parameters were determined at the time of diagnosis (baseline), and after 6 and 12 months: prostate size, serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and uroflowmetry parameters including maximum flow rate (MFR), average flow rate (AFR) and post-voiding residual volume (PVRV). In addition, the relevant patient symptoms were evaluated using the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) system.

The patients in the SRT group showed a statistically significant increment of the average MFR and AFR values and reduction of PV relative to the control group (p<0.05). The significant differences between the proportion of patients with prostate volume >40 ml in the SRE treated group vs. control group was observed (p<0.05). The mean IPSS score was highly significantly reduced in the SRT group (p<0.01).

The mild improvements of the urine flow, prostate size and IPSS score during 12 months treatment with the Serenoa repens extract indicate possible efficiency of this phytotherapeutic agent in patients with BPH.