Quantification and phenotypic characterization of dendritic cells from testicular draining lymph nodes of rats undergoing autoimmune orchitis.

V. A. GUAZZONE; M. MARDIROSIAN; P. JACOBO; S. HOLLWEGS; M. FIJAK; L. LUSTIG

Giessen

Workshop; 5th International Workshop ?MOLECULAR ANDROLOGY 2009?; 2009

European Academy of Andrology

Experimental autoimmune orchitis (EAO) is an organ-specific model of autoimmunity characterized by an interstitial lymphomononuclear cell infiltrate, apoptosis and sloughing of germ cells. EAO was induced in adult male Wistar rats by active immunization with testicular homogenate and adjuvants (E group). Rats injected with saline solution and adjuvants were used as control group (C). We previously observed a significant increase of testicular dendritic cells (DC) in rats undergoing EAO (Rival et al., 2006). Also we showed no significant differences in the testicular DC expression of MHC class II, CD80 and CD86 among normal (N), C and E rats. However the upregulated expression of CCR7 in testicular DC in EAO suggested that these cells are in a ready migratory state to enter and homing lymph node (LN) T- and B-cell areas (Rival et al., 2007). The aim of the present work was to quantify and characterize the DC of the draining LN from the testis and the site of immunization in a model of EAO. Flow cytometric analysis showed a significant increase in the percentage of DC (OX62+) from testicular draining LN of rats with orchitis (9.46+-1.87) compared to N (3.22+-0.67) and C (4.88+-1.35) groups, confirming the results obtained by immunohistochemistry. Also an increase in the percentage of DC was observed at the end of the immunization period (C: 1.50+-0.55; E: 9.20+-1.67). The percentage of DC of draining LN from the site immunization was similar in C and E groups. No differences were detected by flow cytometry in the MHC class II, CD80 and CD86 expression on DC from LN among N, C and E groups. These results suggest that during the development of chronic testicular inflammation, the DC present in the testicular draining LN amplify the immune response against testicular antigens.