[Effect of Shirexiao waist hot-compress on the expressions of Th17/Treg-specific factors in the mouse model of experimental autoimmune prostatitis with damp heat syndrome].

To investigate the effect of waist hot-compress with the Shirexiao (SRX) pad on the expressions of Th17/Treg-specific factors in the prostatic tissue of the mouse model of experimental autoimmune prostatitis (EAP) with damp heat syndrome, and explore its possible action mechanisms.Twenty healthy male mice were included as normal controls and another 100 chosen for establishing the model of EAP with damp heat syndrome by subcutaneous injection of purified prostate protein solution from the Wistar rat and Freund's complete adjuvant using the TCM method. The model mice were randomly divided into five groups: model control, matrix, and low-, medium- and high-dose SRX. After chemical removal of the hair at lumbar vertebrae 1－3, the animals of the low-, medium- and high-dose SRX groups were treated with the SRX pad heated to 45℃ and externally applied to the non-hair area, qd, bid, and tid, respectively, 10 minutes each time, those of the matrix group with the vaseline pad, and those of the normal and model control groups with the saline pad. After 4 weeks of continuous treatment, all the mice were sacrificed for determination of the protein and mRNA expressions of RORγt and Foxp3 in the prostate tissue by Western blot and quantitative real-time PCR.The symptoms, signs and pathological changes of the EAP model mice were similar to the manifestations of chronic prostatitis. After intervention, the protein and mRNA expressions of Foxp3 were significantly down-regulated while those of RORγt markedly up-regulated in the EAP model group as compared with the normal control (P <0.05). In comparison with the model controls, the protein and mRNA expressions of RORγt were remarkably decreased in the medium- and high-dose SRX groups (P <0.05), that of the Foxp3 protein was markedly increased in the high-dose group (P <0.05), while that of Foxp3 mRNA exhibited no statistically significant difference in the low-, medium- or high-dose groups (P >0.05).The Shirexiao waist hot-compress therapy plays a positive role in the treatment of autoimmune prostatitis with damp heat syndrome by reducing the expression of RORγt, inhibiting the differentiation of Th17 and thus checking the differentiation imbalance of Th17/Treg.目的： 检测湿热消腰部热敷疗法对实验性自身免疫性前列腺炎（EAP）小鼠模型前列腺组织Th17/Treg相关特异性因子表达的影响，探讨湿热消腰部热敷疗法可能的作用机制。方法： 120只健康雄性KM小鼠，随机抽取20只为正常组，其余100只应用Wistar大鼠前列腺蛋白提纯液辅以免疫佐剂及中医病因造模法制备实验性自身免疫性前列腺炎（湿热证）小鼠模型，造模成功后的小鼠随机分为模型组、基质组、低剂量组、中剂量组和高剂量组。脱去各组小鼠腰1~腰3椎体处毛发，低剂量组、中剂量组和高剂量组用湿热消棉垫、基质组用凡士林棉垫、正常组及模型组用生理盐水棉垫，所用棉垫加热至45 ℃左右外敷于小鼠脱毛区，每次治疗10 min，正常组、模型组、基质组和低剂量组1次/d，中剂量组2次/d，高剂量组3次/d，连续干预4周后处死，用蛋白免疫印迹和实时荧光定量PCR检测各组小鼠前列腺组织中的视黄酸相关核孤儿受体γt（RORγt）和双头叉转录因子p3（Foxp3）基因蛋白及其mRNA表达。结果： 造模后，模型小鼠的症状、体征及病理学改变基本符合慢性前列腺炎（湿热证）的表现。干预后，模型组与正常组相比，前列腺中Foxp3及其mRNA表达明显下降，RORγt及其mRNA表达显著提高，差异有统计学意义（P<0.05）；与模型组比较，中、高剂量组RORγt及其mRNA的表达显著降低（P<0.05），高剂量组Foxp3的表达显著提高（P<0.05），低、中、高剂量组Foxp3 mRNA的表达均无明显改变（P>0.05）。结论： 湿热消腰部热敷疗法可能是通过下调RORγt基因的表达，抑制Th17细胞的分化，使Th17/Treg分化失衡得到控制而在慢性前列腺炎的治疗中发挥作用。.