TIME-COURSE OF REACTIVE OXYGEN INTERMEDIATES RELEASE AND HISTOPATHOLOGICAL FINDINGS DURING EXPERIMENTAL AUTOIMMUNE PROSTATITIS DEVELOPMENT

Spontaneous and stimulated reactive oxygen intermediates (ROI) release by peritoneal exudate cells (PEG) and histopathological findings in t he prostate gland were assessed during experimental autoimmune prostat itis (EAP) development. Results in EAP rats were compared with data fr om rats immunized with kidney homogenate, BSA, and CFA, as well as non treated rats. At 28 days of first immunization (FI), EAP rats spontane ously released significantly more ROI than occurred in the cells from controls rats. A similar response was found when ROI release was analy zed after in vitro stimulus. In time course studies, an increased spon taneous O-2(-) production was observed at day 7 after FI, and remained the same during all period studied (14, 21, and 28 days after FI). Th e stimulated O-2(-) production showed elevated levels at 7 days after FI and fell afterward to levels similar to those of nontreated rats an d increased again at day 28. Spontaneous or stimulated H2O2 release sh owed a progressive increase during the study periods. ROI release was correlated with infiltrate formation in the prostate gland. This diffe rential responsiveness could indicate that, during the autoimmune proc ess, the autoantigen(s) amplify the inflammatory response triggered by them. (C) 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.