• The association of IL-17+ lymphocytes with the pathogenesis of prostate cancer in comparison with benign prostatic hyperplasia
  • Mohammad-Javad Sanaei,1 Masoud Heshmati,2 Mehrnaz-Sadat Ravari,3 Nader Bagheri,4,*
    1. Cellular and Molecular Research Center, Basic Health Sciences Institute, Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences, Shahrekord, Iran
    2. Cellular and Molecular Research Center, Basic Health Sciences Institute, Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences, Shahrekord, Iran
    3. Cellular and Molecular Research Center, Basic Health Sciences Institute, Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences, Shahrekord, Iran
    4. Cellular and Molecular Research Center, Basic Health Sciences Institute, Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences, Shahrekord, Iran


  • Introduction: Prostate cancer (PCa) with its high mortality rate can cause a burden in the male population. The tumor microenvironment (TME) of the PCa is involved in the presence of chronic inflammation which is the result of inflammatory cell functions such as IL-17+ helper T cells (Th17). IL-17 which is secreted by Th17 is an important cytokine that can promote the inflammatory condition. The aim of this study is to investigate the frequency of IL-17+ lymphocyte as well as the mRNA expression of IL-17A in the tissue of PCa patients compared with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) group.
  • Methods: A total of 32 paraffin-embedded tissue and 5 fresh samples from patients with PCa and 32 paraffin-embedded tissue and 5 fresh samples from individuals with BPH were enrolled in this study. The expression of IL-17 antigen was determined by immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining. IL-17A gene expression was determined by real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).
  • Results: The frequency of IL-17+ lymphocyte was significantly higher in the tissue of PCa patients compared with the BPH group. By contrast, IL-17 mRNA expression didn’t elevate significantly in the tissue of PCa patients. Also, there was no significant relationship between the frequency of IL-17+ lymphocyte and Gleason scores in the tissue of patients with PCa.
  • Conclusion: We concluded that the elevation of the frequency of IL-17+ lymphocytes in the tissue of patients with PCa may promote tumor pathogenesis through the induction of chronic inflammation. Also, no significant difference between IL-17 mRNA expression in the tissue of BPH individuals and PCa approved the presence of the inflammatory condition in the BPH group.
  • Keywords: Prostate cancer, T helper 17, Interleukin-17