Oral Administration of Berberine Represses Macrophage Activation-Associated Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia: A Pivotal Involvement of the NF-κB

The study investigated the effects of orally administered berberine (BB) on benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) using a testosterone-induced BPH animal model. BB was found to alleviate pathological changes associated with BPH, suppress inflammatory markers, and enhance antioxidant factors. It achieved these effects by inhibiting the NF-κB signaling pathway, which regulates macrophage activation. Additionally, in vitro experiments with RWPE-1 cells showed that BB countered prostatic cell proliferation and inflammation induced by macrophage conditioned medium. The findings suggested that BB could suppress androgen-dependent BPH development by targeting NF-κB-mediated pro-inflammatory signaling.