title: Changes in the development of experimental autoimmune prostatitis (EAP) by castration in aged rats.
abstract: During Experimental Autoimmune Prostatitis (EAP), 12-month-old rats show a higher cellular autoimmune response and lower humoral autoimmune response against prostatic components than 3-month-old rats subjected to the same antigen stimulus. We analyzed if thymus recovery by orchidectomy could affect the development of EAP in 12-month-old rats. Thirty days after gonadectomy, 12-month-old rats showed an increment in the thymic mass and in the thymocytes absolute number, with percentages of the four main cell subpopulations (defined by CD4-CD8 molecules expression) similar to the 3-month-old rats. The DTH response of castrated 12-month-old with EAP were diminished in comparison with sham-castrated 12-month-old rats with EAP, resembling the values observed in 3-month-old rats with EAP. The prostates of castrated 12-month-old rats with EAP did not show inflammatory mononuclear cell infiltration, as did control 3- and 12-month-old rats with EAP. Castration seems to modulate negatively EAP in 12-month-old rats, possibly through the regeneration of thymus after testosterone deprivation.
authors.affiliation: Bioquímica Clínica, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Ciudad Universitaria, 5000, Córdoba, Argentina.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Morón
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Maletto
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rópolo
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Pistoresi-Palencia
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000276:immunology*; D000818:Animals; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000096:biosynthesis; D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000209:etiology* / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D002457:Cell Extracts / Q000276:immunology; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D005837:Genitalia, Male / Q000276:immunology; D007111:Immunity, Cellular; D008297:Male; D009919:Orchiectomy; D011472:Prostatitis / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar
chemical_list: D001323:Autoantibodies; D002457:Cell Extracts