Does finasteride have a preventive effect on chronic bacterial prostatitis? Pilot study using an animal model.

AIM: To evaluate the preventive effect of finasteride on chronic bacterial prostatitis (CBP), Wistar rats were divided into four groups: control, ciprofloxacin, finasteride, and ciprofloxacin/finasteride.

METHODS

All drug pretreatments were conducted for 4 weeks, and then experimental CBP was induced by instillation of a bacterial suspension (Escherichia coli Z17 O2:K1;H-).

RESULTS

After 4 weeks, results of microbiological cultures of prostate and urine samples as well as histological findings of the prostate in each group were analyzed. Finasteride significantly reduced bacterial infection and decreased inflammatory cell infiltration in prostatic tissue compared with the control group. The group given both finasteride and antibiotic showed a greater inhibition of bacterial infection in the tissue than those given either finasteride or antibiotic alone.

CONCLUSION

Our experiments suggest the possibility that finasteride has a preventive effect on development of CBP, although there is as yet no consensus on the mechanism of this effect.