Banana peel extract suppresses prostate gland enlargement in testosterone-treated mice. - GreenMedInfo Summary
Banana peel extract suppressed prostate gland enlargement in testosterone-treated mice.
Dermatol Surg. 2005 Jul;31(7 Pt 2):855-60; discussion 860. PMID: 19734683
A methanol extract of banana peel (BPEx, 200 mg/kg, p.o.) significantly suppressed the regrowth of ventral prostates and seminal vesicles induced by testosterone in castrated mice. Further studies in the androgen-responsive LNCaP human prostate cancer cell line showed that BPEx inhibited dose-dependently testosterone-induced cell growth, while the inhibitory activities of BPEx did not appear against dehydrotestosterone-induced cell growth. These results indicate that methanol extract of banana peel can inhibit 5alpha-reductase and might be useful in the treatment of benign prostate hyperplasia.