Oxidative Stress in Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia: A Systematic Review

Background: Several parameters including inflammatory mediators, hormones, dietary factors, inflammatory genes, and oxidative stress (OS) have been considered to play a role in the development of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Prostate tissue damage and OS may lead to compensatory cellular proliferation with resulting hyperplastic growth. Methods: We searched MEDLINE for articles in English published up to March 2014 using the key words ‘oxidative stress’, ‘antioxidants’ and ‘benign prostatic hyperplasia’. Results: Prostatic inflammation can cause the generation of free radicals. The extent of oxidative damage can be exacerbated by a decreased efficiency of antioxidant defense mechanisms. The balance between OS and the antioxidant component also has a role in developing prostate disease. Several works show the role of oxidant products and of depletion of antioxidant substances in BPH patients. It is acPublished online: December 5, 2014 Prof. Carlo Magno Unit of Urology, Department of Human Pathology University of Messina Via C. Valeria 1, IT–98125 Messina (Italy) E-Mail cmagno @ unime.it © 2014 S. Karger AG, Basel 0042–1138/14/0943–0249$39.50/0 www.karger.com/uin Paola Lucia Minciullo a Antonino Inferrera b Michele Navarra c Gioacchino Calapai d Carlo Magno b Sebastiano Gangemi a, e a Operative Unit of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, b Operative Unit of Urology, Department of Human Pathology, c Department of Drug Sciences and Products for Health, d Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Messina, and e Institute of Clinical Physiology, IFC CNR, Messina Unit,