Popovics P, Schally AV, Block NL, Rick FG. Preclinical therapy of benign prostatic hyperplasia with neuropeptide hormone antagonists. World J Clin Urol 2014; 3(3): 184-194 [DOI: 10.5410/wjcu.v3.i3.184]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Ferenc G Rick, MD, PhD, Veterans Affairs Medical Center and South Florida Veterans Affairs Foundation for Research and Education, Research (151) 2A127, 1201 NW 16th St, Miami, FL 33125, United States. ferencrick@gmail.com
Research Domain of This Article
Urology & Nephrology
Article-Type of This Article
Review
Open-Access Policy of This Article
This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
World J Clin Urol. Nov 24, 2014; 3(3): 184-194 Published online Nov 24, 2014. doi: 10.5410/wjcu.v3.i3.184
Preclinical therapy of benign prostatic hyperplasia with neuropeptide hormone antagonists
Petra Popovics, Andrew V Schally, Norman L Block, Ferenc G Rick
Petra Popovics, Division of Cardiovascular Diseases, Department of Medicine, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL 33136, United States
Petra Popovics, Department of Medicine III, Medical Faculty Carl Gustav Carus, D-01307 TU Dresden, Germany
Petra Popovics, Andrew V Schally, Norman L Block, Ferenc G Rick, Veterans Affairs Medical Center and South Florida Veterans Affairs Foundation for Research and Education, Miami, FL 33125, United States
Andrew V Schally, Norman L Block, Divisions of Hematology/Oncology, and Endocrinology, Department of Medicine, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL 33136, United States
Ferenc G Rick, Department of Urology, Florida International University, Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Miami, FL 33199, United States
Author contributions: Popovics P and Rick FG conceived the purpose of the review and wrote the paper; Schally AV and Block NL revised the paper.
Supported by The Medical Research Service of the Veterans Affairs Department, Departments of Pathology and Medicine, Division of Hematology/Oncology, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine, the South Florida Veterans Affairs Foundation for Research and Education (all to Schally AV) and the L Austin Weeks Endowment for Urologic Research (to Block NL); in part by a grant from the Urology Care Foundation Research Scholars Program and the American Urological Association (AUA) Southeastern Section (to Rick FG); by a stipend program of the Department of Medicine, Dresden; by the Helmholtz Alliance ICEMED (Imaging and Curing Environmental Metabolic Diseases) through the Initiative and Networking Fund of the Helmholtz Association (to Popovics P)
Correspondence to: Ferenc G Rick, MD, PhD, Veterans Affairs Medical Center and South Florida Veterans Affairs Foundation for Research and Education, Research (151) 2A127, 1201 NW 16th St, Miami, FL 33125, United States. ferencrick@gmail.com
Telephone: +1-305-5753477 Fax: +1-305-5753126
Received: April 16, 2014 Revised: June 26, 2014 Accepted: July 25, 2014 Published online: November 24, 2014 Processing time: 217 Days and 17 Hours
Core Tip
Core tip: A new, effective treatment for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is critically needed. Present side effects of therapy include impotence, decreased libido, abnormal ejaculation, dizziness, weakness, blurred vision and insomnia. Preclinical data suggest that antagonists of neuropeptides growth hormone-releasing hormone, luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone and gastrin-releasing peptide are effective in shrinking prostates in part by suppressing growth factors and inflammatory cytokines. Their effect is exerted through a decrease in levels of circulating hormones and also on a direct action on their respective prostatic receptors. These analogs seem to have the same clinical effects as the currently available BPH medical therapies but possess greater efficacy and have fewer or no side effects.
