RESUMEN
OBJECTIVE: To observe and compare the effects of Chinese herbal prescriptions for promoting blood circulation, clearing heat, removing toxicity, and dispersing stagnated liver-Qi on cytokines in mode rats with experimental autoimmune prostatitis (EAP) to provide an experimental basis for the use of Chinese herbal prescriptions in the treatment of chronic prostatitis. METHODS: One-hundred and ten male Wistar rats were randomly divided into 11 groups: blank group; model group; Huoxuehuayu (promoting blood circulation to remove blood stasis) high, middle, and low dose groups; Qingrejiedu (clearing heat and removing toxicity) high, middle, and low dose groups; and Shuganliqi (dispersing stagnated liver-Qi) high, middle, and low dose groups. Except the blank group, rats in all groups were injected subcutaneously in multiple points on days 0 and 30 with prostatic protein extractive solution (60 mg/ mL), and intraperitoneally injected with diphtheria-pertussis and tetanus vaccine (DPT vaccine) to establish the EAP model. Model rats were adminis- trated high, middle, and low doses of Chinese herb- al prescriptions and were sacrificed after 4 weeks. Pathological changes in the prostate gland were observed with HE staining and changes in serum interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-8 (IL-8), and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) levels were detected with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS: Compared with the blank group, serum PGE2, IL-6, and IL-8 levels in the model group were significantly higher (P < 0.05). Compared with the model group, serum PGE2, IL-6, and IL-8 levels in the Qingrejiedu low dose and middle dose groups were significantly lower (P < 0.05), with the lower dose having a more obvious effect. Serum PGE2, IL-6, and IL-8 levels in the Huoxuehuayu high dose group (P < 0.05), IL-6 and IL-8 levels in the Huoxue- huayu middle dose group (P < 0.05), and the IL-8 level in the Huoxuehuavu low dose group were significantly lower than those in the model group (p < 0.05). There were significant differences in PGE2 and IL-6 levels among the different dose groups of Shuganliqi drugs (P < 0.05). Compared with the model group, serum PGE2, IL-6, and IL-8 levels in the Shuganliqi high dose group (P < 0.05) and IL-8 level in the Shugangliqi low dose group were significantly lower (P < 0.05), while the Shuganliqi middle dose group did not change significantly. CONCLUSION: Therefore, in TCM treatment of autoimmune prostatitis, different treatment methods should select different doses. For prescriptions that clear heat and remove toxicity, low doses should be used. For prescriptions that promote blood circulation to remove blood stasis and for prescriptions that disperse stagnated liver-Qi, high doses should be used.