Identification and preliminary study of immunogens involved in autoimmune prostatitis in human males.

BACKGROUND: Experimental models have confirmed that autoimmunity is an important factor in the onset of chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CP/CPPS); however, there is no conclusive evidence on whether autoimmune prostatitis exists in human males. METHODS: Rabbits were immunized with either human prostate tissue homogenates or normal saline and the antiserum was collected. Two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE) was performed on the homogenates and Western blotting was conducted on the sera. The identified human prostate tissue immunodominant antigens (HPTIAs) were detected by mass spectrometry. The serum immunoglobulin (Ig)G from the immunized rabbits was purified with protein A-agarose, and the purified IgG was linked with Sepharose to purify HPTIAs by affinity chromatography. Non-obese diabetic (NOD) mice were immunized with the purified HPTIAs, and the levels of serum antibodies, INF-γ, and histopathological changes in their prostate tissues were detected. The purified HPTIAs were coated into polystyrene pores and serum autoantibodies in CP/CPPS patients were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Meanwhile, serum interleukin 2 (IL-2), interferon gamma (IFNγ), and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα) levels in CP/CPPS patients were also determined by ELISA. RESULTS: Sixteen HPTIAs were identified. Among them, three types were reported to be associated with prostatic diseases. Prostatitis was induced in mice immunized with the 16-HPTIA complex, with positive serum autoantibody and increased prostatic IFN-γ levels. The positive rate of serum autoantibodies against HPTIAs was significantly higher in CP/CPPS patients (23.1%, 18/78) than in the control (2.7%, 2/75). But there was no significant difference in serum TNFα, IFNγ, and IL-2 levels between the CPPS patients with positive and negative autoantibodies against HPTIAs. CONCLUSIONS: Autoantibodies against HPTIAs exist in part in CP/CPPS patients, which implies that autoimmunity and the 16 HPTIAs are important factors in the onset of CP/CPPS. The detection of serum autoantibodies could be applied in clinical diagnoses of autoimmune prostatitis; treatment protocols might change. Additional studies are needed to determine which of the 16 HPTIAs is the most important.

[Correlation of serum anti-Müllerian hormone with semen parameters].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between the serum anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) level and semen parameters. METHODS: We collected the data about 726 outpatients at the Male Infertility Clinic of Jinling Hospital from September 2015 to November 2016, including 72 with non-obstructive azoospermia, 123 with oligospermia, and 531 with normal sperm concentration. We obtained the semen volume, total sperm count, sperm concentration, sperm motility, the percentages of progressively motile sperm (PMS) and morphologically normal sperm (MNS), and the levels of serum AMH, inhibin B (INH-B), total testosterone (TT) and follicle - stimulating hormone (FSH) of the patients, analyzed the correlation of the serum AMH level with the other parameters, and compared the AMH level among different groups. RESULTS: The serum AMH level was found to be correlated positively with the total sperm count (r = 0.227, P <0.001), sperm concentration (r = 0.215, P <0.001), sperm motility (r = 0.111, P = 0.003), the percentage of PMS (r = 0.120, P = 0.001), and the levels of INH-B (r = 0.399, P <0.001) and TT (r = 0.184, P = 0.002), negatively with the FSH level (r = －0.283, P <0.001), but insignificantly with age, time of abstinence, semen volume, and the percentage of MNS (P >0.05). There was a statistically significant difference in the serum AMH level among the patients with non-obstructive azoospermia, oligozoospermia, and normal sperm concentration (ï¼»6.33 ± 4.26ï¼½ vs ï¼»8.26 ± 3.98ï¼½ vs ï¼»9.8 ± 5.19ï¼½ ng/ml, P <0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Serum AMH is a biomarker reflecting the function of Sertoli cells and its level is significantly correlated with sperm concentration and motility, suggesting that AMH may be involved in spermatogenesis and sperm maturation.

The effect of vitamin D on sperm motility and the underlying mechanism.

Vitamin D deficiency is a common health issue around the world. We therefore evaluated the associations of semen quality with both serum and seminal plasma vitamin D levels and studied the mechanisms underlying these by incubating spermatozoa with 1,25(OH)2D In vitro. Two hundred and twenty-two men were included in our study. Vitamin D was detected using an electrochemiluminescence method. Spermatozoa used for In vitro experiments were isolated by density gradient centrifugation. Positive relationships of serum 25(OH)D with semen volume and seminal plasma fructose were identified. Seminal plasma 25(OH)D level showed no relationship with serum 25(OH)D level, while it was inversely associated with sperm concentration and positively correlated with semen volume and sperm kinetic values. In vitro, sperm kinetic parameters increased after incubation with 1,25(OH)2D, especially upon incubation for 30 min with it at a concentration of 0.1 nmol l-1. Under these incubation conditions, the upward migration of spermatozoa increased remarkably with increasing adenosine triphosphate (ATP) concentration. The concentration of cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) and the activity of protein kinase A (PKA) were both elevated, and the PKA inhibitor, N-[2-(p-Bromocinnamylamino)ethyl]-5-isoquinolinesulfonamide dihydrochloride (H89) reversed the increase of ATP production. The concentrations of cytoplasmic calcium ions and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) were both enhanced, while mitochondrial calcium uniporter (MCU) inhibitor, Ruthenium 360 (Ru360) did not reverse the increase of ATP production. Therefore, seminal plasma vitamin D may be involved in regulating sperm motility, and 1,25(OH)2D may enhance sperm motility by promoting the synthesis of ATP both through the cAMP/PKA pathway and the increase in intracellular calcium ions.

Relation of size of seminal vesicles on ultrasound to premature ejaculation.

Myriad biological factors have been proposed to explain premature ejaculation (PE). However, data correlating PE with seminal vesicles (SVs) are sparse. The study aimed to evaluate the relationship between the size of SV and PE. The cross-sectional study included 44 outpatients with PE and 44 volunteers without PE, and the size of SV was compared. Self-estimated intravaginal ejaculatory latency time, the Premature Ejaculation Diagnostic Tool (PEDT), the International Index of Erectile Function-15, and the National Institutes of Health-Chronic Prostatitis Symptom Index were used for assessment of symptoms. Compared to the control group, the PE group had significantly higher mean anterior-posterior diameter (APD) of SV (P < 0.001). The optimal mean APD of SV cutoff level was 9.25 mm for PE. In the PE group, PEDT was also higher with a mean APD of SV ≥9.25 mm compared with mean APD of SV <9.25 mm. PEDT was significantly correlated with the mean APD of SV (r = 0.326, P = 0.031). The seminal plasma proteins were compared between six PE and six matched control cases by mass spectrometry and it was shown that 102 proteins were at least 1.5-fold up- or down-regulated. Among them, GGT1, LAMC1, and APP were significantly higher in the PE group. These results indicated that men with a larger mean APD of SV might have a higher PEDT score. Transrectal ultrasound of SV should be considered in the evaluation of patients with premature ejaculation. SV might be a potential target for the treatment of patients with PE and ultrasound change in SV.