Purple Corn Extract Improves Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia by Regulating Prostate Cell Proliferation and Apoptosis

Purple corn (Zea maysL.), utilized as a natural pigment in food production and processing, has been used to treatobesity, cystitis, and urinary tract infections. However, no reports of its use for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) exist. Purple cornextract (PCE) contains anthocyanins, particularly cyanidin-3-O-glucoside, which have various pharmacological characteristics.Therefore, this study sought to elucidate the ameliorative effect of PCE on BPH in dihydrotestosterone (DHT)-stimulated WPMY-1cells and testosterone propionate (TP)-induced rats. Expression levels of the upregulated androgen receptor (AR) and its relatedgenes in DHT-stimulated WPMY-1 cells were reduced by PCE, and proapoptotic gene expression increased by modulating thephosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (AKT) signaling cascade. PCE reduced the weight of the enlarged prostate byinhibiting the androgen/AR signaling-related markers. Histological variations in the prostate epithelium caused by TP injection wererestored by PCE. Thus, PCE alleviates BPH by modulating prostate cell proliferation and apoptosi