A high-fat diet (HFD) has been implicated in the development of prostatic fibrosis, which, either independently or in combination with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), can result in lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) in elderly men. Rosa roxburghii Tratt (RRT), a food with both edible and medicinal properties, is rich in a diverse range of bioactive compounds, including terpenoids, organic acids, polyphenols, coumarins, glycosides, amino acids, flavonoids, and phthalides. In this study, we employed an HFD-induced prostatic fibrosis mouse model to investigate the anti-fibrotic effects of RRT extracts and the underlying mechanisms. Treatment with RRT extracts mitigated the progression of prostatic fibrosis by addressing lipid metabolic dysregulation, inflammation, oxidative stress, and imbalances in sex hormone levels. Furthermore, RRT extracts reduced the incidence of bladder urine retention in HFD-fed mice and inhibited the TGF-β/Smad signaling pathway, a key mediator of fibrosis. Collectively, these findings suggest that RRT extracts may ameliorate HFD-induced prostatic fibrosis through a multi-target, multi-component approach. This study provides valuable experimental insights into the pathogenesis of HFD-induced prostatic fibrosis and supports the potential therapeutic application of RRT in health, food, and medicinal contexts.

This study investigated the promotional effect of Hypericum aqueous extract on the healing of rabbit skin wounds and its possible mechanism. Sixteen New Zealand rabbits were modelled as skin defect trauma, and each rabbit had three wounds on the back skin, which were saline (Control), Hypericum aqueous extract (HAE), and Yunnan Baiyao (YNBY), and the wounds were cleaned and changed daily. The therapeutic effects were evaluated by wound gross observation, wound healing rate, and wound healing time, respectively, and we found that HAE could promote the wound healing rate. Histopathological staining observations showed that HAE improved the histologic changes of the wound and reduced the amount of inflammation. In addition, through the network pharmacology study, we obtained that the target of action was mainly focused on biological processes such as epithelial cell proliferation and signaling pathways such as PI3K-Akt, and the core targets included VEGFA, etc.; the validation results demonstrated that HAE significantly inhibited the expression of PI3K, P-PI3K, Akt and P-Akt, and it could increase the expression of VEGF, which helped to restore the vascularization of the wounds. In conclusion, Hypericum aqueous extract may promote wound healing by regulating the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway.