ASSESSMENT OF THE INNATE IMMUNNITY IN THE PROSTATE GLAND CHALLENGED TO BACTERIAL INFECTION.

A. A. QUINTAR; C. LEIMGRUBER; F. ROTH; R. OBERLEY; A. AOKI; C. MALDONADO

Río de Janeiro. Brasil.

Congreso; 13th International Congress of Immunology; 2007

International Union of Immunological Societies. Sociedade Brasileira de Inmunología

Assessment of the innate immunity in the prostate gland challenged to bacterial infection Quintar Amado, Leimgruber Carolina, Roth Felix, Oberley Rebecca, Aoki Agustín & Maldonado Cristina Innate immune systems provide immediate defense against infection. Considering that the prostate is the most affected site by inflammatory processes in the male reproductive tract, we have focused on the prostatic host defenses induced by a bacterial stimulus using a rat prostatitis model, in which prostates were injected with Escherichia coli beneath de prostatic capsule, and evaluated 24, 48 and 72 h after inoculation. The expression of TLR4, antimicrobial proteins such as -defensin-1 and Surfactant Protein D (SP-D), and the proinflammatory cytokines TNF- and IL-1 were analyzed by western blot, immunohistochemistry and immunoelectronmicroscopy. After bacterial inoculation, an upregulation of TLR4 was observed in prostatic epithelial cells with redistribution of this receptor to apical areas and concomitant translocation of the NF-B to the nucleus. Moreover, TNF-andIL-1 were overexpressed in infected prostates. A significant increase in SP-D content was observed in the prostatic epithelium at 24 and 48 hours post-infection (ANOVA p