Chickpea Sprouts as a Potential Dietary Support in Different Prostate Disorders-A Preliminary In Vitro Study

Abstract

Background: Prostate cancer (PC) and benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) are common health problems in the aging male population. Due to the unexplored and unconfirmed impact of food containing isoflavones, like sprouts, on the development of the management of BPH and prostate cancer, we decided to extend the knowledge in this area.

Results: We have demonstrated for the first time that chickpea sprouts may play an important role in the chemoprevention of prostate disorders. However, attention should be paid to the isoflavone content in the sprouts, as in our study, chickpea sprouts with a moderate concentration of the compounds, harvested in natural light conditions (CA10L) and blue LED light (CA7B), showed the best scores in terms of their potential towards prostate disorders.

Methods: Chickpea seeds were grown in LED chambers. The methanol extracts from sprouts were quantitatively defined using the HPLC system. Experiments such as the determination of PSA, 5-α-reductase, and dihydrotestosterone were performed on PNT2 and LNCaP cells. For anti-inflammatory assays (determination of NO, IL-6, and TNF-alpha release), murine RAW264.7 macrophages were used.

Conclusions: The role of legume products as a diet element should be deeply evaluated for the development of future dietary recommendations for prostate cancer and BPH prevention.

Keywords: benign prostatic hyperplasia; chickpea sprouts; prostate cancer; prostate disorders.

Figure 1

The effect of chickpea sprouts 5 and 7 DAS (A) and 10 DAS (B) in different doses (50, 100, 200 µg/mL; numbers in parentheses) on proliferation of PNT2 cells stimulated by testosterone (U + T) (n = 3). The data from incubation periods of 24 h, 48 h, and 72 h are individually depicted on each bar chart. They are expressed as the mean ± standard deviation (SD) of three experiments. The letters placed above each bar chart express significant differences between the results.

Figure 2

The effects of chickpea sprout extracts 5 and 7 DAS and 10 DAS on 5-α-reductase activity in PNT2 and LNCaP cells stimulated by testosterone. The cells were incubated with extract at different concentrations (50, 100, and 200 µg/mL), with reference drug dutasteride (D + T), or treated only with testosterone (U + T). The results are expressed as the mean ± SD of three experiments. Significant differences (p < 0.05) between tested extract doses are marked by *.

Figure 3

The effects of chickpea sprout extracts 5 and 7 DAS (A) and 10 DAS (B) on PSA release in LNCaP stimulated by testosterone. The cells were incubated with extract at different concentrations (50, 100, and 200 µg/mL), with reference drug dutasteride (D + T), or treated only with testosterone (U + T). The results are expressed as the mean ± SD of three experiments. Significant differences (p < 0.05) between tested extract doses are marked by *.

Figure 4

The effects of chickpea sprout extracts harvested at 5 and 7 days after seeding (DAS) and 10 DAS on the release of interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), and nitric oxide (NO) in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages were investigated. RAW cells were pre-treated with sprout extract at varying concentrations (50, 100, 200 µg/mL in parentheses) for 1 h, followed by the addition of 10 ng/mL LPS to induce inflammation. Results are expressed as the mean ± standard deviation (SD) of three experiments and compared with untreated RAW cells (U) and cells treated with LPS and dexamethasone as the reference drug (DEX + LPS). Significant differences (p < 0.05) between tested extract doses are marked by *.

Figure 5

Graphical summary of the main conclusions of the article.