Benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH) can be defined as a slowly progressive prostatic adenoma
that cause bladder outlet obstruction. Risk factors for BPH can be classified into modifiable
risk factor including genetic factors and age with prevalence of 50% to 60% for males in
their 60's up to 80% to 90% of those who are over 70 years of age, and non-modifiable risk
factors including sex steroid hormones, the metabolic syndrome, obesity, diabetes, physical
activity, diet, and inflammation. The clinical presentation of BPH can be categorized into
storage and voiding abnormalities. Symptoms include urinary frequency and urgency, nocturia
and dysuria in addition to urinary hesitancy, dribbling and incomplete bladder voiding.
Several hypotheses are postulated to explain the pathophysiology of BPH including the
testosterone and dihydrotestosterone, age related tissue remodelling, prostatic inflammation
and metabolic aberration as obesity, diabetes and dyslipidemia.
Oxidative stress has been reported to play a role the pathogenesis of BPH. Oxidative stress
has been considered to be one of the mechanisms that trigger the chain of reactions involved
in the development and progression of prostatic hyperplasia. This is especially true as the
human prostate tissue is vulnerable to oxidative DNA damage due to more rapid cell turnover
and fewer DNA repair enzymes. In a study conducted on prostate tissue, it was observed that
oxidative stress and oxidative DNA damage are important in the pathogenesis of BPH. Higher
oxidative stress markers in terms of Malondialdehyde levels was reported in BPH patients.
Moreover, a systematic review revealed that prostatic inflammation can induce free radicals
formation that might play role in carcinogenesis and development of prostate cancer in
patients with BPH.
Garcinia cambogia is a natural fruit which has been reported to have anti-obesity activity
including reduced food intake and body fat gain by regulating the serotonin levels related to
satiety, increased fat oxidation and decreased de novo lipogenesis. It also exerted
hypolipidemic, antidiabetic, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, anthelmintic, anticholinesterase
and hepatoprotective activities in in vitro and in vivo models . Hydro-citric acid, the main
component of garcinia extract, has been reported to have strong antioxidant property.
An animal study on rats has reported that kolaviron, a bioflavonoid complex from Garcinia
kola had decreased prostate weights (compared with the normal control and reversed the
histoarchitecture of the prostates of the BPH rats.