Endocrinology and Metabolism News, August 2005: Effects of Finasteride on Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia Tissues

The study investigated the effects of finasteride on benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) tissues, revealing that finasteride induced apoptosis in epithelial cells through a caspase-dependent mechanism involving caspases-3, -6, -8, and -9. Apoptosis was observed as early as 2-3 days of treatment, peaking at 6-8 days with a 250-fold increase, but diminished after 27-32 days. Caspase-3 and -6 were activated early in the treatment, while caspase-9 showed maximal activation at 2-3 days. The apoptotic process was transient and primarily affected epithelial cells, with no significant changes in caspase-3 and -6 mRNA levels.