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. 2017 Aug;35(2):120-128.
doi: 10.5534/wjmh.2017.35.2.120. Epub 2017 Apr 30.

The Clinical Efficacy of Pollen Extract and Vitamins on Chronic Prostatitis/Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome Is Linked to a Decrease in the Pro-Inflammatory Cytokine Interleukin-8

Tommaso Cai  1 , Paolo Verze  2 , Roberto La Rocca  2 , Alessandro Palmieri  2 , Daniele Tiscione  3 , Lorenzo Giuseppe Luciani  3 , Sandra Mazzoli  4 , Vincenzo Mirone  2 , Gianni Malossini  3
Affiliations

The Clinical Efficacy of Pollen Extract and Vitamins on Chronic Prostatitis/Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome Is Linked to a Decrease in the Pro-Inflammatory Cytokine Interleukin-8

Tommaso Cai et al. World J Mens Health. 2017 Aug.

Abstract

Purpose: We aim to evaluate the efficacy of pollen extract in association with vitamins in patients affected by chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CP/CPPS) and to evaluate the level of the pro-inflammatory mediators interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8, and IL-10.

Materials and methods: Patients diagnosed with CP/CPPS between January and December 2015 were enrolled in this study. Participants were randomly assigned to receive oral capsules of pollen extract and vitamins (group A) or bromelain (group B) for 3 months. At the enrolment time and 3 months after enrolment, all patients completed questionnaires (the National Institutes of Health Chronic Prostatitis Symptom Index [NIH-CPSI] and the Short Form-36 and underwent urological examinations and microbiological evaluation. Levels of IL-6, IL-8, and IL-10 were evaluated in seminal plasma.

Results: Sixty-five male patients (mean age of 32.7±4.7 years) were analysed (group A, n=32; group B, n=33). At the follow-up examination, 24 of the 32 patients in group A showed a significant reduction in the NIH-CPSI total score compared with 8 of the 33 patients in the bromelain group (p<0.001). Moreover, the mean level of IL-8 was significantly lower in the pollen extract and vitamins group when compared with the bromelain group (298 pg/mL vs. 736 pg/mL, respectively; p<0.001). In group A we found a statistically significant reduction in the levels of IL-8 between enrolment and the follow-up visit (878 pg/mL vs. 298 pg/mL, respectively; p<0.001).

Conclusions: Treatment with pollen extract and vitamins improved the quality of life in CP/CPPS patients by reducing the levels of pro-inflammatory IL-8.

Keywords: Interleukin-8; Pelvic pain; Pollen; Prostatitis.

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Conflict of interest statement

No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1. The study schedule. V1: visit 1, IL: interleukin, NIH-CPSI: National Institutes of Health Chronic Prostatitis Symptom Index, SF-36: Short Form-36, V2: visit 2, V3: visit 3.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2. The flowchart for the study according to the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials 2010 flow diagram.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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