Oxidative stress and prostatic diseases

Abstract

Prostatic diseases are a common health problem among males in Western countries, and include chronic prostatic diseases, which have an unclear pathogenesis and few treatment options. <i>In vitro</i> and <i>in vivo</i> studies describe oxidative stress as a major pathway involved in the occurrence of benign prostatic hyperplasia, prostatic cancer and chronic prostatitis. Thus, the oxidative stress cascade is a potential target for the treatment of prostatic diseases. This paper presents a systematic review of the available data concerning the association between oxidative stress and the most common chronic prostatic diseases, and describes the available treatment options that act upon this pathway.