Method for treating benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), prostatitis, and prostate cancer

1. A method for treating benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), prostatitis, and/or prostate cancer, comprising the step of:

administering an isothiocyanate functional surfactant to a patient affected by benign prostatic hyperplasia, prostatitis, and/or prostate cancer.

2. The method for treating benign prostatic hyperplasia, prostatitis, and/or prostate cancer according to claim 1 , wherein the isothiocyanate functional surfactant comprises at least one isothiocyanate functional group associated with an aliphatic and/or aromatic carbon atom of the isothiocyanate functional surfactant.

3. The method for treating benign prostatic hyperplasia, prostatitis, and/or prostate cancer according to claim 1 , wherein the isothiocyanate functional surfactant comprises a lysine derivative, wherein the lysine derivative comprises an α-nitrogen and a ε-nitrogen, and wherein an alkyl and/or alkanoyl substituent comprising at least approximately 8 carbon atoms is associated with the α-nitrogen, and further wherein at least one isothiocyanate functional group is associated with the ε-nitrogen.

4. The method for treating benign prostatic hyperplasia, prostatitis, and/or prostate cancer according to claim 1 , wherein the isothiocyanate functional surfactant is represented by the following chemical structure:

wherein the protonated form of the surfactant comprises a non-polar moiety (NP) and a polar moiety (P), and wherein at least one isothiocyanate functional group (NCS) is associated with the polar and/or non-polar moiety.

5. The method for treating benign prostatic hyperplasia, prostatitis, and/or prostate cancer according to claim 1 , wherein the protonated form of the isothiocyanate functional surfactant is represented by the following chemical structure:

wherein R 1 comprises an alkyl, cycloalkyl, polycycloalkyl, heterocycloalkyl, aryl, alkaryl, aralkyl, alkoxy, alkanoyl, aroyl, alkenyl, alkynyl and/or cyano group containing approximately 1 to approximately 25 carbon atom(s), wherein the carbon atom(s) may be a linking group to, or part of, a halogen, a N, O, and/or S containing moiety, and/or one or more functional groups comprising alcohols, esters, ammonium salts, phosphonium salts, and combinations thereof; a linkage to a dimer; a linkage to an oligomer; and/or a linkage to a polymer; wherein R 2 comprises NCS; and wherein R 3 -R 5 are the same or different and comprise H; OH; an alkyl, cycloalkyl, polycycloalkyl, heterocycloalkyl, aryl, alkaryl, aralkyl, alkoxy, alkanoyl, aroyl, alkenyl, alkynyl and/or cyano group containing approximately 1 to approximately 25 carbon atom(s), wherein the carbon atom(s) may be a linking group to, or part of, a halogen, a N, O, and/or S containing moiety, and/or one or more functional groups comprising alcohols, esters, ammonium salts, phosphonium salts, and combinations thereof; a linkage to a dimer; a linkage to an oligomer; and/or a linkage to a polymer with the proviso that at least one of R 3 -R 5 comprise an alkyl, cycloalkyl, polycycloalkyl, heterocycloalkyl, aryl, alkaryl, aralkyl, alkoxy, alkanoyl, aroyl, alkenyl, alkynyl and/or cyano group containing approximately 8 to approximately 25 carbon atom(s).

6. The method for treating benign prostatic hyperplasia, prostatitis, and/or prostate cancer according to claim 1 , wherein the protonated form of the isothiocyanate functional surfactant is represented by the following chemical structure:

wherein R 1 is selected from the group consisting of an alkyl group containing 1 to 25 carbon atom(s); wherein R 2 is selected from the group consisting of NCS; and wherein R 3 -R 5 are each independently selected from the group consisting of H; OH; and an alkyl, and alkanoyl group containing 1 to 25 carbon atom(s) with the proviso that at least one of R 3 -R 5 is selected from the group consisting of an alkyl, and alkanoyl, group containing 8 to 25 carbon atoms.

7. The method for treating benign prostatic hyperplasia, prostatitis, and/or prostate cancer according to claim 1 , wherein the protonated form of the isothiocyanate functional surfactant is represented by the following chemical structure:

wherein X comprises an integer ranging from approximately 1 to approximately 25, and wherein Y comprises an integer ranging from approximately 6 to approximately 25.

8. The method for treating benign prostatic hyperplasia, prostatitis, and/or prostate cancer according to claim 1 , wherein the protonated form of the isothiocyanate functional surfactant is represented by the following chemical structure:

9. The method for treating benign prostatic hyperplasia, prostatitis, and/or prostate cancer according to claim 1 , wherein the protonated form of the isothiocyanate functional surfactant is represented by at least one of the following chemical structures:

10. The method for treating benign prostatic hyperplasia, prostatitis, and/or prostate cancer according to claim 1 , wherein the isothiocyanate functional surfactant is represented by the following chemical structure:

wherein R 1 comprises an alkyl, cycloalkyl, polycycloalkyl, heterocycloalkyl, aryl, alkaryl, aralkyl, alkoxy, alkanoyl, aroyl, alkenyl, alkynyl and/or cyano group containing approximately 1 to approximately 25 carbon atom(s), wherein the carbon atom(s) may be a linking group to, or part of, a halogen, a N, O, and/or S containing moiety, and/or one or more functional groups comprising alcohols, esters, ammonium salts, phosphonium salts, and combinations thereof; a linkage to a dimer; a linkage to an oligomer; and/or a linkage to a polymer; wherein R 2 comprises NCS; wherein R 3 -R 5 are the same or different and comprise H; OH; an alkyl, cycloalkyl, polycycloalkyl, heterocycloalkyl, aryl, alkaryl, aralkyl, alkoxy, alkanoyl, aroyl, alkenyl, alkynyl and/or cyano group containing approximately 1 to approximately 25 carbon atom(s), wherein the carbon atom(s) may be a linking group to, or part of, a halogen, a N, O, and/or S containing moiety, and/or one or more functional groups comprising alcohols, esters, ammonium salts, phosphonium salts, and combinations thereof; a linkage to a dimer; a linkage to an oligomer; and/or a linkage to a polymer with the proviso that at least one of R 3 -R 5 comprise an alkyl, cycloalkyl, polycycloalkyl, heterocycloalkyl, aryl, alkaryl, aralkyl, alkoxy, alkanoyl, aroyl, alkenyl, alkynyl and/or cyano group containing approximately 8 to approximately 25 carbon atom(s), wherein X comprises a counter cation such as, but not limited to, alkali metals, alkaline earth metals, transition metals, s-block metals, d-block metals, p-block metals, NZ 4 + , wherein Z comprises, H, R 6 , OR 6 , and wherein R 6 comprises an alkyl, cycloalkyl, polycycloalkyl, heterocycloalkyl, aryl, alkaryl, aralkyl, alkoxy, alkanoyl, aroyl, alkenyl, alkynyl and/or cyano group containing approximately 1 to approximately 25 carbon atom(s), wherein the carbon atom(s) may be a linking group to, or part of, a halogen, a N, O, and/or S containing moiety, and/or one or more functional groups comprising alcohols, esters, ammonium salts, phosphonium salts, and combinations thereof; a linkage to a dimer; a linkage to an oligomer; and/or a linkage to a polymer.

11. The method for treating benign prostatic hyperplasia, prostatitis, and/or prostate cancer according to claim 1 , wherein the isothiocyanate functional surfactant is represented by the following chemical structure:

wherein R 1 is selected from the group consisting of an alkyl group containing 1 to 25 carbon atom(s); wherein R 2 is selected from the group consisting of NCS; and wherein R 3 -R 5 are each independently selected from the group consisting of H; OH; and an alkyl, and alkanoyl group containing 1 to 25 carbon atom(s) with the proviso that at least one of R 3 -R 5 is selected from the group consisting of an alkyl, and alkanoyl, group containing 8 to 25 carbon atoms; and wherein X comprises a counter cation.

12. The method for treating benign prostatic hyperplasia, prostatitis, and/or prostate cancer according to claim 1 , wherein the isothiocyanate functional surfactant is administered to the patient at least one of orally, intravenously, intramuscularly, intrathecally, cutaneously, subcutaneously, transdermally, sublingually, buccally, rectally, and nasally.

13. The method for treating benign prostatic hyperplasia, prostatitis, and/or prostate cancer according to claim 12 , wherein the amount of isothiocyanate functional surfactant topically administered to the patient ranges from approximately 0.5 nmol/cm2 to approximately 10 μmol/cm2.

14. The method for treating benign prostatic hyperplasia, prostatitis, and/or prostate cancer according to claim 13 , wherein the isothiocyanate functional surfactant is a topical preparation selected from the group consisting of ointment, cream, emulsion, lotion and gel.

15. The method for treating benign prostatic hyperplasia, prostatitis, and/or prostate cancer according to claim 14 , wherein the isothiocyanate functional surfactant further comprises one or more pharmaceutical, biological or molecular biological active agents.

16. The method for treating benign prostatic hyperplasia, prostatitis, and/or prostate cancer according to claim 1 , wherein the patient is a mammal.

17. The method for treating benign prostatic hyperplasia, prostatitis, and/or prostate cancer according to claim 16 , wherein the mammal is a human.

18. A method for treating benign prostatic hyperplasia, comprising the step of:

administering an isothiocyanate functional surfactant to a patient affected by benign prostatic hyperplasia, wherein the protonated form of the isothiocyanate functional surfactant is represented by the following chemical structure:

19. A method for treating prostatitis, comprising the step of:

administering an isothiocyanate functional surfactant to a patient affected by prostatitis, wherein the protonated form of the isothiocyanate functional surfactant is represented by the following chemical structure: