Different Perforin Expression in Peripheral Blood and Prostate Tissue in Patients with Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia and Prostate Cancer

• Published in: Scandinavian journal of immunology 2011-10, Vol.74 (4), p.368-376
• Main Authors: Tokmadzic, V S, Tomas, MI, Sotosek, S, Laskarin, G, Dominovic, M, Tulic, V, Dordevic, G, Sustic, A, Mrakovcic-Sutic, I
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aged; Alloantigens; Antigens, CD - analysis; Benign; CD3 antigen; CD4 antigen; CD56 antigen; CD8 antigen; Cell Separation; Centrifugation; Cytotoxicity; Flow Cytometry; Fluorescent Antibody Technique; Humans; Hyperplasia; Immunity (cell-mediated); Immunofluorescence; Leukocytes (mononuclear); Leukocytes, Mononuclear - metabolism; Lymphocyte Subsets - metabolism; Lymphocytes; Lymphocytes T; Male; Microenvironments; Middle Aged; Monoclonal antibodies; Natural killer cells; Pathogens; Perforin; Perforin - blood; Perforin - genetics; Perforin - metabolism; Peripheral blood mononuclear cells; Prostate - metabolism; Prostate cancer; prostate-specific antigen; Prostate-Specific Antigen - blood; Prostatic Hyperplasia - metabolism; Prostatic Hyperplasia - pathology; Prostatic Neoplasms - metabolism; Prostatic Neoplasms - pathology; surface antigens; Tumors
• ISSN: 0300-9475; 1365-3083
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-3083.2011.02569.x

Perforin (P) is a prototypical cytotoxic molecule involved in cell‐mediated immunity against various pathogens, alloantigens and particularly different tumours. The purpose of this study was to determine P expression in different lymphocyte subpopulations isolated from peripheral blood and prostate tissue of patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and prostate cancer (PCa) and compare it with the P expression found in the control group. Twenty subjects were recruited in each of the groups. Prostate mononuclear cells of the BPH and PCa tissues were isolated by enzymatic digestion and gradient density centrifugation, whereas peripheral blood mononuclear cells were isolated by gradient density centrifugation alone. Cells and tissue samples were labelled using monoclonal antibodies against P and different surface antigens (CD3, CD4, CD8 and CD56) and analysed by immunofluorescence and flow cytometry. Total P expression in peripheral blood lymphocytes did not differ significantly between BPH/PCa patients and control group, although the BPH and PCa tissue showed lower P expression level. A negative correlation between prostate‐specific antigen levels and the overall percentage of P+, CD3+CD56−P+, and CD3−CD56+P+ cells in the prostate tissue was observed only in patients with PCa. Our findings indicate that the low frequency of P+ lymphocytes, including T, NKT and NK cells, in the prostate tissue of patients with BPH and, particularly, PCa could be the consequence of local tissue microenvironment and one of the mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of prostate hyperplasia following malignant alteration.