Basic reporting No comment Experimental design To better introduce the results and understand the experimental design, please detail point by point the aims of research. Validity of the findings There are some results that need to be supported by quantitative data and more experiments are necessary to validate the hypotesis (see below). Comments for the Author Venkataramana et al., investigated the efficacy of β-sitosterol enriched saw palmetto oil (VISPO) on complications produced by benign prostatic hyperplasia in an animal model of BPH obtained by daily and subcutaneous dose of 5 mg/kg testosterone for 28 days. Furthermore, the authors compared the beneficial effects of VISPO with those produced by conventional saw palmetto oil or Finasteride, an α-reductase inhibitor used for treating BPH. The topic of research is interesting, the manuscript is clearly written and the methods used were appropriated. However, in my opinion there are some results that need to be supported by quantitative data and more experiments are necessary to improve even more the quality of research. Finally, other aspects of the manuscript also need to be deepened. These are addressed by section, below:

UNDER INTRODUCTION: - The authors present results about the efficacy to use β-sitosterol enriched saw palmetto oil as treatment for BPH in comparison with conventional palmetto oil. To better understand these results, a better introduction about the source, biological function and therapeutic properties of β-sitosterol need to be added. - The author also treated the rats with finasteride, an α-reductase inhibitor used for treating BPH. For more fluidity and a better connections between sections, the authors should add more information regarding this compound. - The authors state “Experimental data from previous studies have demonstrated a relation between inflammation of the prostate and BPH development”. Please, integrate this part including information about the role of NF-KB pathway regulating inflammation and apoptosis. - To better introduce the results, please detail point by point the aims of research.

UNDER MATERIAL AND METHODS: - The authors analysed the content of NF-KB by western blot. The active form of NF-KB is composed by two subunits (p50/p65 under inflammatory state) and the most of commercial antibodies only recognize one of them. Which subunit has been analysed? Please specify it in M&M and along the whole text.

UNDER RESULTS - The authors state that VISPO treatment decreases the expression of NF-KB, Cox-2, pAkt and increases the expression ratio of Bax/Bcl-2. Considering the high variability of western blot technique, this statement need to be supported by a quantitative analysis. Only a representative image of a western blot of these proteins is not enough to support the hypothesis. - One of the authors’ aims is to compare the beneficial effects of β-sitosterol enriched saw palmetto oil with conventional palmetto oil or finasteride. To reach this objective, the authors should perform quantitative western blot analysis of before mentioned proteins also in SPO and finasteride treated groups.

UNDER DISCUSSION: - The authors state: “The expression of procaspase-9 was markedly down-regulated by the VISPO treatment compared to BPH control rats” but no quantitative data of procaspase-9 is shown in the manuscript. Please support this sentence with quantitative data or delete it.

MINOR CONCERNS: - UNDER FIGURE 4: The text inside the micrographs is uninterpretable. Please increase the size of the text. - UNDER FIGURE 4: Micrographs are lacking of a scale bar. Please include it in the figure.