Prostatic inflammation-induced chronic pelvic pain: Roles of substance P and c-fos in the spinal cord / 中华男科学杂志

ABSTRACT

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the possible pain mechanism of chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CP/CPPS).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The models of CP/CPPS were established in male Wistar rats by the autoimmune method. The paw withdrawal threshold (PWT) was detected using Von Frey filament. The expressions of the substance P and c-fos in the prostate and spinal L5-S2 segments were determined by immunohistochemistry followed by analysis of their correlation with CP/CPPS.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Compared with the control rats, the CP/CPPS models showed significantly decreased PWT (P < 0.05), remarkable prostatic inflammation, enlarged scope of lesions, and obvious interstitial lymphocytic infiltration (P < 0.05). Both the expressions of substance P and c-fos were markedly elevated in the prostate and spinal dorsal horn (L5-S2) of the rat models (P < 0.05), but the expression of substance P in the prostate exhibited no correlation with that in the spinal cord (r = 0.099, P = 0.338), nor did that of c-fos (r = 0.027, P = 0.454).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The upregulated expressions of substance P and c-fos in the spinal cord L5-S2 sections may be associated with the pain mechanism of CP/CPPS.</p>