Review: Anti-Oxidant and Anti-Aging Properties of Equol in Prostate Health (BPH)

Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is the pathological cellular progression of glandular proliferation associated with aging. The primary changes in prostate disorders are mediated by the conversion of the principle androgen, testosterone, to its more potent metabolite, 5α-dihydrotestosterone (5α-DHT). However, recent evidence suggests that estrogen hormonal actions via estrogen receptor subtypes also play an important role in BPH. Current pharmaceutical options for BPH have advantages, limitations and adverse effects. Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) treatments for BPH include botanicals such as polyphenols and isoflavones. Equol is a polyphenolic/isoflavonoid molecule derived from intestinal metabolism, dairy and dietary plant sources. Equol has potent anti-oxidant and anti-aging properties to decrease prostatic irritation and potentially neoplastic growth. It has the unique characteristic to bind specifically 5α-DHT by sequestering 5α-DHT from the androgen receptor (AR), thus decreasing androgen hormone actions to improve prostate health by acting as a selective androgen modulator (SAM). It also has affinity for estrogen related receptor gamma (ERR-γ) and estrogen receptor beta (ER-β) within the prostate that is known to improve male health via selective estrogen receptor modulatory (SERM) activities to decrease inflammation, cellular proliferation and carcinogenesis. The possible clinical efficacy of equol on the symptoms associated with BPH is presented and the reviewed findings suggest that equol may provide a well-tolerated and rapid beneficial therapy for BPH that can be used alone or in combination with current pharmaceutical therapies. The beneficial clinical efficacy of equol observed may be due to the multiple positive biological actions that are not present in current pharmaceutical treatments.