Changes in the development of Experimental Autoimmune Prostatitis (EAP) by castration in aged rats.

MORÓN, G; MALETTO, B; RÓPOLO, A; PISTORESI, MC

ELSEVIER SCI LTD

Año: 2000 vol. 24 p. 673 - 673

uring 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 a€ect 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 (de®ned 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 in¯ammatory mononuclear cell in®ltration, as did control 3- and 12-month-old rats with EAP. Castration seems to modulate negativ