Analysis of pelvic pain development, mast cell infiltration and prostate inflammation in an animal model of Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome.

RIVERO, VIRGINIA E.; SALAZAR, FLORENCIA C.; GODOY, GLORIA J.; MOTRICH, RUBEN D.; BRESER, MARIA L.

Buenos Aires

Congreso; Reunión Conjunta de Sociedades de Biociencias.; 2017

Pain and inflammation in the absence of infection are hallmarks in Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome (CPPS) patients. In this set, mast cells have been pointed out as key players in pain induction and central sensitization. Although its etiology remains unclear, autoimmunity has been proposed as a cause and animal models of Experimental Autoimmune Prostatitis (EAP) models have long been used for studying CP/CPPS. Herein, we analyzed prostate inflammation induction, mast cell infiltration and chronic pelvic pain development in EAP in three common laboratory mouse strains presenting with differential susceptibility to autoimmune prostatitis: the NOD mice (highly susceptible), the C57BL/6 mice (moderately susceptible), and the BALB/c mice (resistant). Chronic pelvic pain development, evidenced by increased tactile allodynia responses, was similar between immunized NOD and C57BL/6 mice, although the severity of leukocyte infiltration and inflammation was greater in the first case. In fact, prostate tissue from NOD mice revealed markedly increased expression levels of inflammatory cytokines and chemokines. Similar results, but to a lesser extent, were observed when analyzing prostate tissue from C57BL/6 mice. However, similarly increased numbers of mast cells, mostly degranulated, were detected in prostate samples from either NOD or C57BL/6 mice. Conversely, minimal prostate leukocyte infiltration and inflammation was observed in immunized BALB/c mice. Besides, they showed no pelvic pain development and the lowest prostate tissue mast cell total counts and in a resting state.Our results provide new evidence indicating that NOD, C57BL/6, and BALB/c mice develop different degrees of chronic pelvic pain, type and amount of prostate inflammation and mast cell infiltration. Remarkably, chronic pelvic pain development correlated with mast cell infiltration, suggesting that mast cells are inflammatory cells involved in mediating pelvic pain induction.