Profile of Interleukin-4 and Interferon-Gamma in Patients with Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia

David Ebralidze

Etiologic factors of Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH) are still obscure. According to literature, infiltrated lymphocytes found in prostate during BPH, may produce improper type of cytokines, which can activate several type of growth factors and thus promote the initiation of hyperplastic processes. Some of cytokines has anti-apoptotic features also. The expression of improper type of cytokines by infiltrated lymphocytes in Prostate and thus the development of Th2 type immune response was observed. Type 2 T-cells cytokines can be found in up to 35% of BPH tissue compared to less than 5% in normal tissue The aim of our study was to assess the levels of main humoral cytokine - Interleukin-4 (IL-4) and main cellular cytokine - Interferon-gamma (IFN-g) in blood serum, urine and expressed prostatic secretions (EPS) of patients with BPH. We evaluated serum, urine and EPS of 64 men admitted in our hospital in 2000-2003 (45 BPH and 19 Controls). Investigations where carried out with Bender MedSystems standard immunodiagnostic test-system. All data where compared to each other by method of standard regression analysis to reveal correlations. We found a high level of IL-4 in serum and EPS of men with BPH compared to controls, while changes where insignificant in urine. Changes of IFN-g in investigated physiologic fluids where insignificant also. Comparing data, correlation was found only between the levels of IL-4 in serum and EPS.

Keywords:  BPH, cytokines, IL-4, IFN-gamma