Comparative Analysis of Alcohol and Aldehyde Dehydrogenase Activities in Prostate Cancer and Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia

Background: Prostate cancer (PCa) remains one of the most frequently diagnosed cancers in men worldwide, and there is growing interest in the role of metabolic reprogramming in its development. Key metabolic pathways include alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) and aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH), which are enzymes involved in the oxidation of alcohols and aldehydes, the detoxification of xenobiotics, and the regulation of cell proliferation and the oxidative stress response. Despite well-documented changes in enzyme activity in other malignancies, their activity in prostate tissue has not yet been thoroughly investigated. This study aimed to evaluate the activity of total ADH and its isoenzymes (classes I–IV), and ALDH classes I and III, in prostate cancer tissue compared with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Methods: Enzyme activities were determined using spectrophotometric and fluorometric methods in prostate tissue obtained from 48 patients with PCa (26 with low-risk and 22 with intermediate-risk disease) and from 42 patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). The study groups were compared using non-parametric statistical tests, with p < 0.05 considered statistically significant. Results: The isoenzyme ADH class III showed the highest activity in both studied groups. The activity of ADH class I was significantly higher in PCa tissue compared with BPH (p = 0.0499), while ALDH I and III activity was also significantly higher in PCa tissue than in BPH (p = 0.0007). No significant differences were observed in total ADH or its other isoenzymes. Significant correlations were found among some ADH isoenzymes, but not with ALDH. Conclusions: Increased activity of class I ADH and ALDH enzymes in prostate cancer tissue may reflect disease-related metabolic changes and suggest their potential significance in the biology of prostate cancer. These findings provide new insights into metabolic reprogramming in prostate cancer and support the need for further studies to determine the biological and potential clinical significance of these enzymes.