High-resolution protein patterns of human expressed prostatic secretion: a new tool for the diagnosis of prostatitis

Expressed prostatic secretions (EPS) obtained from 62 infertile and urological patients have been analyzed for their protein content by sodium dodecylsulfate electrophoresis and isoelectrofocusing. Independent cytological and bacteriological screening on the same EPS samples was carried out to detect prostatic inflammation. EPS from both urological and infertile patients without inflammation had simple and characteristic protein patterns. Important qualitative and quantitative differences in the protein composition of EPS from patients with severe dysspermia or prostatic inflammation were found. The comparison of EPS protein patterns with those of seminal plasma obtained from the same patients led to the detection of a characteristic group of low-molecular-weight bands that were not of prostatic origin.