The effect of palm pollen extract, testosterone enanthate and resistance training on tight junction proteins in the prostate tissue of male rats

Considering the side effects and increasing use of testosterone enanthate among athletes, especially resistance athletes, it seems necessary to find alternative compounds. The present study examined the effect of palm pollen extract, testosterone enanthate and resistance training on the tight junctions proteins in the prostate tissue of male rats.

36 male rats were divided into groups including: control, resistance training, palm pollen extract, testosterone enanthate, palm pollen extract+resistance training and testosterone enanthate+resistance training. The program of resistance training and other interventions consisted of four weeks and five days a week. The interventions of palm pollen extract and testosterone enanthate were applied with doses of 100 and 2 mg/kg of body weight, respectively. 48 hours after the last intervention, the animals were sacrificed and the prostate tissue was removed. Two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to analyze the data (significance level: p<0.05).

Exercise training, testosterone enanthate and palm pollen each independently increased the expression of claudin-1 and occludin genes and increased the expression of occludin protein in prostate tissue, also. The simultaneous using of exercise training and testosterone/palm pollen had a synergistic effect on prostate occludin protein expression compared to the intervention of testosterone and palm pollen, alone.

It seems that palm pollen and testosterone enanthate have an effect on the variables of the present study with a similar pattern; therefore, the using of palm pollen may be considered as a natural alternative to synthetic testosterone.