Age-related alterations in inflammatory response during experimental autoimmune prostatitis

Overview of Innate Immune Cell Landscape in Liver Aging

Aging is a biological process with a gradual decline in functional capacity, and this process often enhances the risk of chronic disease morbidity and mortality. With advanced age, the immune system undergoes a process of remodeling that can lead to a chronic inflammatory state, termed immunosenescence and inflammaging, respectively. Immunosenescence is accompanied by changes in the number, proportion, and functional capacity of the innate immune cells. The accumulation of dysfunctional immune cells and the presence of low-grade inflammation can lead to organ damage and expedite the aging process. The liver, crucial in regulating the body's metabolism and immune function, is not exempt from these effects. Age-related modifications affect its immune function and regenerative abilities, potentially increasing the prevalence of age-related liver diseases. While aging's impact on the liver is relatively less severe compared to other organ systems, it still experiences an infiltration of innate immune cells and heightened inflammation levels. This review will elaborate on how aging affects the liver's innate immune cells, such as neutrophils, macrophages, dendritic cells, mast cells, and innate lymphoid cells. It will also explore potential strategies for delaying immunosenescence to alleviate these age-related changes.

Immunological Mechanisms Underlying Chronic Pelvic Pain and Prostate Inflammation in Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome

Chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CP/CPPS) is the most common urologic morbidity in men younger than 50 years and is characterized by a diverse range of pain and inflammatory symptoms, both in type and severity, that involve the region of the pelvis, perineum, scrotum, rectum, testes, penis, and lower back. In most patients, pain is accompanied by inflammation in the absence of an invading infectious agent. Since CP/CPPS etiology is still not well established, available therapeutic options for patients are far from satisfactory for either physicians or patients. During the past two decades, chronic inflammation has been deeply explored as the cause of CP/CPPS. In this review article, we summarize the current knowledge regarding immunological mechanisms underlying chronic pelvic pain and prostate inflammation in CP/CPPS. Cumulative evidence obtained from both human disease and animal models indicate that several factors may trigger chronic inflammation in the form of autoimmunity against prostate, fostering chronic prostate recruitment of Th1 cells, and different other leukocytes, including mast cells, which might be the main actors in the consequent development of chronic pelvic pain. Thus, the local inflammatory milieu and the secretion of inflammatory mediators may induce neural sensitization leading to chronic pelvic pain development. Although scientific advances are encouraging, additional studies are urgently needed to establish the relationship between prostatitis development, mast cell recruitment to the prostate, and the precise mechanisms by which they would induce pelvic pain.

Mast cells and the liver aging process

It has now ascertained that the clinical manifestations of liver disease in the elderly population reflect both the cumulative effects of longevity on the liver and the generalized senescence of the organism ability to adjust to metabolic, infectious, and immunologic insults. Although liver tests are not significantly affected by age, the presentation of liver diseases such as viral hepatitis may be subtler in the elderly population than that of younger patients.Human immunosenescence is a situation in which the immune system, particularly T lymphocyte function, deteriorates with age, while innate immunity is negligibly affected and in some cases almost up-regulated.We here briefly review the relationships between the liver aging process and mast cells, the key effectors in a more complex range of innate immune responses than originally though.

HDAC inhibitor MS-275 attenuates the inflammatory reaction in rat experimental autoimmune prostatitis

BACKGROUND

Experimental autoimmune prostatitis (EAP) is an autoimmune inflammatory disease of male sex accessory glands and is characterized by a cellular and humoral prostate-specific autoimmune response. EAP shares important clinical and immunological features with human chronic prostatitis and chronic pelvic pain syndrome. MS-275, a potent histone deacetylase inhibitor, has promising anti-inflammatory activities and might be a new agent in the therapy of prostate inflammation.

METHODS

EAP rats were treated with MS-275 (5 mg/kg, i.p.) once daily. Using immunohistochemistry and PCR assay, we determined immune cellular responses and infiltration into the prostate glands, and changes of mRNA levels of representative inflammatory molecules in prostate tissue. Changes in Foxp3(+) CD4(+) cell populations of lymph nodes and peripheral blood were analyzed by flow cytometry. Additionally, direct anti-inflammatory effects of MS-275 were investigated in vitro with a macrophage cell line.

RESULTS

MS-275 treatment significantly reduced the local accumulation of immune cells and mRNA levels of representative pro-inflammatory molecules in prostate tissue. Furthermore, MS-275 treatment increased percentage of Foxp3(+) CD4(+) Treg cells in lymph nodes and their proportion to CD4(+) cells in peripheral blood, and induced a relative increase of ED2(+) macrophage numbers in EAP prostate. Additional in vitro study showed that MS-275 induced a switch of macrophages from classic M1 to anti-inflammatory M2 phenotype.

CONCLUSIONS

In summary, our data demonstrated that MS-275 could effectively suppress inflammatory reaction in EAP, through suppressing immune cells and pro-inflammatory molecules, and inducing anti-inflammatory immune cells and molecules, which may suggest MS-275 as a potential candidate for treatment of inflammatory prostatitis.

Mast cells and ethanol consumption: interactions in the prostate, epididymis and testis of UChB rats

PROBLEM

Alcoholism has reached alarming proportions while fertility rates slowing in populations. The assessment of inflammatory effects with emphasis on the variation of the mast cells comparing ethanol chronic ingestion on reproductive organs deserves attention.

METHOD OF STUDY

The mast cells were investigated with light microscopy using toluidine blue to locate and count total mast cells and immunohistochemistry to identify the connective tissue mast cells (CTMC).

RESULTS

The increase in total mast cells in the prostate, total and degranulated mast cells in epididymis of UChB rats was accompanied by a greater proportion of mucosal mast cells (MMC) in these organs. In addition, a lower incidence of degranulated mast cells was observed in epididymis of control rats.

CONCLUSIONS

Ethanol increases the number of total and degranulated mast cells in the prostate and epididymis, as well as associated with increasing MMC, and therefore, it could be leading to inflammation in these organs.

Age-related effect of peptide YY (PYY) on paw edema in the rat: the function of Y1 receptors on inflammatory cells

It is well documented that neuropeptides participate in local inflammatory reaction and modulate functions of inflammatory cells. The aim of the study was to determine a link between in vivo and in vitro effects of NPY-related peptides on inflammatory response with respect to ageing. Peptide YY (PYY) intraplantarly applied decreases concanavalin A-induced paw edema in 3 and 8 months, but not in 24 months old male rats of Albino Oxford strain. The use of NPY-related receptor-specific peptides and Y1 receptor antagonist revealed that anti-inflammatory effect of PYY is mediated via NPY Y1 receptors. PYY in vitro decreases adherence of macrophages from 8 months, but not from 3 and 24 months old rats and this effect is also mediated via NPY Y1 receptor. Additionally, PYY (10(-6)M) decreases NBT reduction in macrophages from 3 and 8 months old rats, and suppresses NO production in cells from 24 months old rats, albeit regardless of absence of in vivo effect of PYY on inflammation in aged rats. It is concluded that aged rats are less responsive to anti-inflammatory action of PYY compared to adult and young rats, and that ageing is associated with altered NPY Y1 receptor functioning.

Effects of ageing on morphology, amylase release, cytosolic Ca2+ signals and acyl lipids in isolated rat parotid gland tissue

Xerostomia (oral dryness sensation) is due to dryness of the oral cavity and it is more prevalent in the elderly. This study investigated the effect of ageing on parotid gland structure and function of control (2-6 months) and aged (12, 16-18 and 22-24 months) rats employing light microscopic, colorimetric, gas chromatographic and microspectrofluorimetric methods to investigate the morphological changes of the parotid glands, amylase release, endogenous lipid distribution and cytosolic free calcium levels, respectively. When compared to controls, age-related changes were apparent in glands obtained from rats aged 16-18 and 22-24 months, which included reduced acinar cell distribution, enlarged parotid ducts with fatty and connective tissue and mast cell infiltrations. Parotid acini from 12, 16-18 and 22-24-month-old glands showed significant (p < 0.05) age-related decreases in amylase release, compared to controls when challenged with acetylcholine (ACh). No change in basal calcium signals was observed in parotid acini from 2-6 to 16-18-month-old-animals. However, stimulation of 16-18-month-old parotid acini with 10(-5)M ACh resulted in a significant (p < 0.001) decrease in both peak and plateau phases of the cytosolic Ca2+ signal when compared to control. Gas chromatography of de novo and essential acyl lipids revealed no changes in the amount of either acyl lipid group in glands obtained from 2-6 to 22-24-month-old animals. Lipid analysis of phospholipid associated acyl chains showed a higher relative proportion of linoleic acid in older glands. The results reveal that ageing is associated with marked and distinct morphological changes including infiltrations of lipids and mast cells of the parotid gland and decreases in amylase release and cytosolic Ca2+ signals.

Age-related changes in the development of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis

A prominent feature of multiple sclerosis is its high incidence of onset in the third decade of life and its relatively rare onset in persons older than 50 years. In order to study age-related restriction of clinical expression, a comparative biochemical, immunological and histological study was undertaken during development of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) in young (7 weeks) and middle-aged (15 months) Wistar rats. Young rats showed characteristic clinical signs 12-16 days postinduction, and then they spontaneously recuperated. In middle-aged rats, the incidence of clinical signs was significantly reduced, with a later onset of the disease. Similar biochemical and histological alterations were detected in both age groups, but they were present in a later stage in middle-aged animals. However, cellular and humoral immune responses to myelin basic protein (MBP) were observed 15 days postinduction in all EAE animals. The study of anti-MBP IgG isotype pattern in 7-week-old animals indicated a predominant Th1-type immune response during the acute stage of EAE, with antibodies predominantly recognizing the MBP 96-128 peptide. In contrast, 15-month-old animals showed a less prominent Th1 response, without any epitope dominance. The changes in immune function found in middle-aged animals may account for the different susceptibility and expression of EAE, and may also be relevant to the different clinical expression observed in multiple sclerosis with maturation.