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Planta Med 1997; 63(4): 307-310
DOI: 10.1055/s-2006-957688
Papers
Pharmacology
© Georg Thieme Verlag Stuttgart · New York

The Inhibition Effects of Urtica dioica Root Extracts on Experimentally Induced Prostatic Hyperplasia in the Mouse

Johannes Josef Lichius1 , Carola Muth2
  • 1Institut für Pharmazeutische Biologie Philipps-Universität, Deutschhausstr. 17 A, D-35032 Marburg, Germany
  • 2Institut für Anatomie und Zellbiologie, Philipps-Universität, Robert-Koch-Str. 6, D-35032 Marburg, Germany
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Publication History

1996

1996

Publication Date:
04 January 2007 (online)

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Abstract

Extracts of stinging nettle roots (Urtica dioica L., Urticaceae) are used in the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). We established a BPH-model by directly implanting an urogenital sinus (UGS) into the ventral prostate gland of an adult mouse. Five differently prepared stinging nettle root extracts were tested in this model. The 20% methanolic extract was the most effective with a 51.4% inhibition of induced growth.

Key words

Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) - Urtica dioica L. - Urticaceae - scopoletin - 3β-sitosterin - Urtica dioica agglutinin (UDA) - polysaccharides