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Autoimmunity Plays a Role in Chronic Prostatitis/Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome

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— 1 min read

Researchers from the United States have found that CD4 T cells from men with chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome recognize peptides derived from normal self-prostatic proteins, providing evidence for an autoimmune etiology of the condition. The study, published in the Journal of Urology, involved stimulating CD4 T cells from patients with chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome and healthy donors with a panel of immunogenic peptides from prostate-specific antigen and prostatic acid phosphatase. The results showed that peptide PAP(173-192) was recognized more frequently by CD4 T cells from patients with chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome than from healthy donors.

Key Takeaways:

  • CD4 T cells from patients with chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome have a higher rate of recognizing self-prostatic proteins prostatic acid phosphatase and prostate-specific antigen compared to those from normal male blood donors.
  • Peptide PAP(173-192) was recognized more frequently by CD4 T cells from patients with chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome than from healthy donors.
  • The recognition of prostate-specific antigen peptides was not significantly different between cases and normal male blood donors.
  • Peptide reactivity was more common in patients than in normal male blood donors for any prostate-specific antigen peptide or any tested peptide.
  • All peptides showed high promiscuity on binding assays.
  • There was no association of cases with any specific HLA class II phenotype at intermediate resolution.

Statistics:

  • 31 patients with chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome were included in the study.
  • 27 normal male blood donors were used as controls.
  • 5 different peptides were tested for reactivity.
  • Peptide PAP(173-192) was recognized by 72% (22/31) of CD4 T cells from patients with chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome.
  • Peptide PAP(173-192) was recognized by 44% (12/27) of CD4 T cells from normal male blood donors.
  • 90% (27/31) of CD4 T cells from patients with chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome recognized at least one prostate-specific antigen peptide.

Sources:

  • D.V. Kouiavskaia et al., "T-Cell Recognition of Prostatic Peptides in Men With Chronic Prostatitis/Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome," Journal of Urology, 2009;182(5):2483-2489.
  • University of Maryland, Medical Department.

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