Prostatin

PROSTATIN, Prostatin (syn. prostatocrin, Prostatocrin), a preparation obtained from the prostate gland of bulls. In commerce it is available as a powder, tablets (0.3-0.5 each), in ampules (1-2 cm³) for subcutaneous injections, and as a liquid for oral administration. - Due to the absence of definite indications of any specifically active principles in the prostate gland and preparations made from it, no methods (chemical or biological) for evaluating these preparations exist. Experimental data on the nature of the action of extracts (liquid and dry) from the prostate gland and its powder are quite sparse and moreover contradictory. - The toxicity of various extracts from the prostate gland upon intravenous administration is very great; however, upon subcutaneous administration of P., and even more so when administered into the stomach, it is insignificant. In individual cases in humans, an increase in temperature and hyperemia of the pelvic organs were noted. When used on sick people, some authors observed a beneficial effect of preparations from the prostate gland administered orally or subcutaneously in the following pathological conditions: 1) Prostatitis and hypertrophy of the prostate gland--a reduction in its size, less frequent urges to urinate, and improvement in the general condition of the patient were observed. 2) Chronic prostatorea in the absence of gonococci in the prostate secretion. 3) Consequences of castration and prostatectomy. 4) Sexual impotence (an increase in the ability to achieve erection and ejaculation was noted, but along with this a decrease in libido sexualis). 5) Neurasthenia and other functional neuroses, etc. The evaluation of the results of treatment with P. in all these cases is not free from the influence of suggestion on patients (psychotherapy) and on the treating physicians, which is facilitated by the physiologically little-studied significance of the prostate gland. Dosage of preparations is purely empirical: powders or tablets 0.3-0.5 three to five times a day with meals, liquid preparations 10-20 drops 2-3 times a day, subcutaneous injections 1-2 cm³ daily or every other day.