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. 2002 May;128(2):302-7.
doi: 10.1046/j.1365-2249.2002.01853.x.

Autoimmune T cell responses to seminal plasma in chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CPPS)

G R D Batstone  1 , A Doble, J S H Gaston
Affiliations

Autoimmune T cell responses to seminal plasma in chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CPPS)

G R D Batstone et al. Clin Exp Immunol. 2002 May.

Abstract

The aetiology of chronic prostatitis is not understood. The aim of this study is to investigate an autoimmune hypothesis by looking for T cell proliferation in response to proteins of the seminal plasma. We studied peripheral blood mononuclear cell proliferation from 20 patients with chronic prostatitis and 20 aged-matched controls in response to serial dilutions of seminal plasma (SP) from themselves (autologous SP) and from a healthy individual without the disease (allo-SP). We found that the patients have a statistically greater lymphocyte proliferation to autologous SP at the 1/50 dilution on day 6 compared to controls (P = 0 x 01). They also have a greater proliferation to allo-SP on both day 5 (P = 0 x 001) and day 6 (P = 0 x 01) at the same dilution. Using a stimulation index (SI) of 9 to either autologous SP or allo-SP on day 6 at the 1/50 dilution as a definition of a proliferative response to SP, then 13/20 patients as compared to 3/20 controls showed a proliferative response to SP (P = 0 x 003, Fishers exact test). These data support an autoimmune hypothesis for chronic prostatitis.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Mean proliferative responses of PBMC from 20 patients and 20 controls to different concentrations of autologous SP (1/25–1/200). Results are expressed as SI (±s.e.m.) on day 6. ▴, Patients; •, controls.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Proliferative responses of PBMC from patients and controls to the antigens 1000 units/ml PPD (a) and 100 μg/ml KLH (b). Results are expressed as the mean SI on days 5–9 of culture. ▴, Patients; •, controls.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Proliferative responses of PBMC from an individual patient to unfractionated autologous and allogeneic SP, and to fractions of autologous SP produced by ultracentrifugation (i.e. prostasomes and supernatant). Results are expressed as 3H]-thymidine incorporation mean c.p.m. (±s.e.m.). ○, Control: no antigen; ▪, autologous SP 1/50; ♦, allo-SP 1/50; •, autologous SP 100 000g supernatant; ×, autologous prostasomes 1/12·5.
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