Expert review of clinical immunology
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Expert Rev Clin Immunol · Sep 2009
Prostate autoimmunity: from experimental models to clinical counterparts.
Different murine models of autoimmune prostatitis have been developed and characterized, proving the autoimmune origin of this pathology. Autoimmune prostatitis models have also provided a wealth of information on the mechanisms involved in disease development, shedding light on inciting autoantigens, regulatory and pathogenic T cells, and mediators of prostatic autoimmunity. ⋯ In this review, we will discuss evidence for the autoimmune origin of chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CP/CPPS) and the chronic inflammatory nature of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). The autoimmune pathogenesis of CP/CPPS and the chronic inflammation characteristic of BPH will be reviewed within the context of the recent demonstration that human prostate stromal cells from BPH tissue can act as antigen-presenting cells and are not only able to activate CD4(+) T lymphocytes, but can also produce IL-12 and IL-23, which are key cytokines for the induction of pathogenic Th1 and Th17 cells.