The prostate gland is a major source of serious health problems for men. It is susceptible to the most common chronic inflammatory condition, benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), and prostate cancer is the most common malignancy. Age is a key risk factor for both BPH and prostate cancer, but diet, physical activity, and exposure to toxins also contribute to risk. BPH is specifically associated with hormonal changes that occur as men age. Family history is a predictor of prostate cancer.

Chronic inflammation is itself a risk factor for cancer and there is evidence that BPH is a forerunner of prostate cancer. At the molecular level, alterations in DNA structure characteristic of all cancers, are detected in the DNA from BPH tissues independently of the more extensive damage seen in the DNA from prostate tumors [1]. At the level of therapy, two plant extracts (Pao pereira and Rauwolfia vomitoria) that react with this damaged DNA and induce apoptosis in cancer cells have demonstrated effectiveness against prostate cancer and advanced prostate cancer [2-5]. Recent research from Dr. Jun Yan’s laboratory at Nanjing University, sponsored by the Beljanski Foundation, shows that both extracts are also remarkably effective for BPH in an animal model: the androgen imbalance seen in older men is corrected, the prostate is reduced to normal size and the inflammatory condition is directly suppressed [6-9]. The effects of the extracts demonstrate that BPH is reversible.

Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is a non-malignant enlargement of the prostate gland, common in older males, that causes urinary and quality of life problems. In a previous study we found that the Pao pereira extract can attenuate BPH development in a rat model by reducing expression of androgen receptor and 5α-reductase. In this study we looked further into the molecular mechanism of Pao pereira’s anti-inflammatory effect in BPH. We found the Pao extract suppressed the growth of two BPH cell lines: BPH-1 and WPMY-1 by inducing apoptosis via inhibition of the NFκB signaling pathway. These findings suggest that Pao Pereira extract may be a very promising therapeutic for BPH.

Pancreatic cancers are enriched with cancer stem-like cells (CSCs), which are resistant to chemotherapies, and responsible for tumor metastasis and recurrence. We investigated the extract of a medicinal plant Pao pereira for its activity against pancreatic CSCs. Pao inhibited overall proliferation of human pancreatic cancer cell lines and had limited cytotoxicity to normal epithelial cells. In several assays pancreatic CSC population was significantly reduced. In vivo, the Pao extract significantly reduced tumorigenicity of PANC-1 cells. Further investigation is warranted in using Pao as a novel treatment targeting pancreatic CSCs.

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Cancer stem cells are a type of stem cell specific to cancer, that is able to reproduce through self-renewal and regeneration into new tumor cells. Cancer stem cells are thought to survive chemotherapy treatments and provide the basis for tumor regrowth. It is critical to find treatments for cancer stem cells to prevent this disease from resurfacing in a person again and again. Research conducted at Kansas University Medical Center concluded that both the Pao pereira (Pau pereira) and Rauwolfia vomitoria extracts inhibited the proliferation of multiple human ovarian cancer cell lines in vitro.