Objective: To investigate the immune profiles in benign prostatic hyperplasia, changes in the absolute number of lymphocyte subsets and the proportion of T lymphocyte subsets were detected.
Methods: Absolute value of lymphocyte subsets in peripheral blood (T, B and NK cells) and the proportion of T lymphocyte (native CD4⁺ T cell, memory CD4⁺ T cell, CD8⁺CD28⁺ T cell, CD8⁺CDDR⁺ T cells and CD8⁺CD38⁺ T cell) were measured by flow cytometry.
Results: The absolute values of CD3⁺ T cell (972.55± 330.31 vs 1757.99± 439.38), CD4⁺ T cell (656.43± 252.39 vs 899.30± 262.10), and CD8⁺ T cell (301.97± 147.76 vs 728.45± 230.34) in patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia were significantly reduced (all P < 0.05). There was no significant difference in NK cell (285.58± 182.84 vs 528.92± 208.17) and B cell (186.66± 86.62 vs 334.17± 130.46). The proportion of naive CD4⁺ T cell (3.75± 0.50 vs 8.54± 1.61) in T lymphocyte subsets in patients with BPH was significantly reduced (P < 0.05). There was no significant difference in memory CD4⁺ T cell (87.9± 6.37 vs 92.63± 5.94), CD8⁺CD28⁺ T cell (60.52± 13.86 vs 64.32± 12.78), CD8⁺CDDR⁺ T cell (36.58± 12.87 vs 31.92± 8.54) and CD8⁺CD38⁺ T cell (2.1± 1.90 vs 2.55± 2.01).
Conclusion: Immune dysfunction raised the risk of viral infection, inflammatory stimulation, and tumor induction in prostate cells, leading to hyperplasia, and immune non-response was potentially a key factor in the transformation of BPH into prostate cancer.
Keywords: benign prostatic hyperplasia, lymphocyte subsets, pathogenesis, flow cytometry