Poria Cocos Polysaccharides Attenuate Chronic Nonbacterial Prostatitis by Targeting the Gut Microbiota: Comparative Study of Poria Cocos Polysaccharides and Finasteride in Treating Chronic Prostatitis

The study compared the effects of Poria cocos polysaccharides (PPs) and finasteride, an antiandrogenic drug, in treating chronic nonbacterial prostatitis (CNP) in rats. Both PPs and finasteride significantly reduced prostate weight and index, improved histological damages in the inflamed prostate, and inhibited the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines and androgens. However, PPs and finasteride resulted in distinct gut microbiota profiles. PPs, unlike finasteride, were able to recover CNP-induced changes in the gut microbiota, specifically targeting the Ruminococcaceae NK4A214 group. This suggests that PPs alleviate CNP through different mechanisms than finasteride, particularly by regulating the gut microbiota, providing a potential therapeutic target for CNP treatment.