OBJECTIVETo study the efficacy of interleukin-10 (IL-10) in the treatment of experimental autoimmune prostatitis (EAP) and its effect on the expressions of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1 ) in EAP rat models.

METHODSThirty Wistar rats were equally and randomly divided into a control, an EAP and an IL-10 group. The controls were treated with normal saline, the EAP models were made by injection of purified prostate protein twice with immune adjuvant, and the IL-10 group included the EAP models subjected to IL-10 intervention. The infiltration of the inflammatory cells of the prostate tissue was detected by HE staining, the ultrastructure of the prostate cells and their surrounding cells observed by electron microscopy, and the levels of TNF-alpha and TGF-beta1 in the three groups determined by semi-quantitative RT-PCR assay.

RESULTSThe EAP group showed significantly severer inflammation and higher levels of TNF-alpha and TGF-beta1 in the prostate tissue than the controls (P < 0.05). The IL-10 group exhibited significantly lessened inflammatory infiltration of the prostate tissue and decreased levels of TNF-alpha and TGF-beta as compared with the EAP group (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONIL-10 could relieve inflammatory infiltration of the prostate tissue and inhibit the expressions of TNF-alpha and TGF-beta1 in EAP rats, which is suggestive of its therapeutic efficacy for autoimmune prostatitis.