A Histological Study of the Effect of Panax Ginseng Versus Finasteride on Induced Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia in Rats with Potential for Spontaneous Recovery

The study conducted by researchers from the Histology Department at Cairo University in 2021 involved 55 adult albino rats to compare the effects of panax ginseng and finasteride on benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). BPH was induced in the rats through subcutaneous injection of testosterone for 4 weeks. The rats were then divided into four subgroups: BPH, Recovery, Finasteride, and Ginseng. The BPH group was sacrificed at the end of the 4th week, the Recovery group was left untreated for another 4 weeks, and the Finasteride and Ginseng groups received oral administration of finasteride (5 mg/kg/day) and ginseng (200 mg/kg/day) respectively for another 4 weeks. The results showed that the ginseng-treated subgroup had nearly normal histological architecture, biochemical, and morphometric parameters, while the finasteride-treated subgroup showed incomplete restoration of normal prostatic histological structure. The study concluded that ginseng had a superior therapeutic effect to finasteride due to its anti-mitotic, anti-inflammatory, and anti-fibrotic effects. Discontinuation of testosterone administration resulted in inconsiderable regression of BPH.