Figure 1.

Androgens increase neutrophil infiltration and tissue damage in bacterial infection of the prostate gland. Rats were orchidectomized (OX) and treated with testosterone 2 mg/kg/day (T) or 10 mg/kg/day (high testosterone-TT) before being inoculated with E. coli intraprostatically. (A) H&E staining at day 5 after infection shows not only interstitial inflammatory infiltrates but also a massive neutrophil invasion to prostatic acini in testosterone-treated animals. Bar = 100 μm. (B) Correlative analysis showing serum testosterone levels and prostatic neutrophil counts (n = 16, Pearson's correlation test). Neutrophils counts were calculated on H&E sections at day 5 post-infection. (C) The inflammatory parameters TNFα, SP-D, and HBD-1 are strongly increased in the prostate from testosterone-treated animals, with the TT group showing the highest levels (mean ± SEM; n = 4 per group; *p < 0.05; **p < 0.01; ***p < 0.001). (D) Representative images of immunocytochemistry for PBP and ACTA2, at day 5 post-infection, displaying a loss in epithelial secretory function when testosterone levels remain high (top images). ACTA2, as a marker for stromal organization, shows a weak expression and disruptions in the periacinar layer (arrows in bottom) of these animals. Bar = 100 μm. (E) At ultrastructural level, prostatic damage was related to the presence of numerous bacteria in the lumen (Lu) and invading epithelial cells (arrowheads, bottom). Orchidectomized rats show conserved morphology, with the conservation of secretory organelles such as Golgi complexes (g). EC, epithelial cell; N, neutrophil. Bar = 2 μm.