[Zinc levels in prostatic fluid of patients with prostate pathologies]

The prostate is a gland that surrounds the posterior urethra in man and, along with seminal vesicles, produces prostatic and seminal fluids. Prostatitis, benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), and prostate cancer are the most frequent pathologies of this gland. Zinc is an important element in the makeup of prostatic fluid and plays an important role in the immunology of the infectious and neoplastic pathologies of the prostate. The aim of this study was to determine zinc concentrations in prostatic fluid of patients with prostate pathologies and to use this measurement as a diagnostic parameter. Thirty patients with prostatic pathologies and ten healthy controls were studied. Prostatic fluid samples were collected using prostatic massage. Zinc concentration was determined using electrothermal atomizeratomic absorption spectrometry (ETA-AAS). The mean zinc concentrations obtained in the studied population were as follows: 11 patients with BPH: 15.087,78 micromol/dL, 10 patients with prostatis: 863,33 micromol/dL, 9 patients with prostate cancer: 1.027,60 micromol/dL and 10 healthy subjects: 7.467,52 micromol/dL. The low zinc concentrations obtained in patients with prostatitis and prostate cancer, in contrast to the control group, led us to consider the possibility of recommending zinc supplements as a coadjuvant therapy in patients with prostatitis and also, to use zinc measurements as another diagnostic tool, for cases in which it is necessary to differentiate benign prostatic hyperplasia from prostate cancer.