[Seminal plasma cytokines in nonbacterial prostatitis: changes following sparfloxacin treatment]

The detection of various cytokines; interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), was studied in patients with nonbacterial prostatitis (NBP), and the clinical efficacy of sparfloxacin was also reported. The seminal plasma of 11 normal men and 10 patients with NBP were examined for the cytokines. There was no IL-1 beta or IL-6 in the seminal plasma of normal men. TNF-alpha was detected in only one normal man. In the seminal plasma of the patients, IL-1 beta was detected in 2 out of 10, and IL-6 was also detected in 6. TNF-alpha was detected in 6 out of 10 patients with NBP. The rate of detection of IL-6 and TNF-alpha was significantly higher in the patients with NBP than in normal men. The average levels (range) of IL-1 beta, IL-6 and TNF-alpha were 28 pg/ml (27-29), 110 pg/ml (25-476) and 25 pg/ml (6-113), respectively. After treatment with sparfloxacin at a dose of 100 mg to 200 mg per day, their symptoms disappeared. The number of leukocytes in the seminal plasma decreased to the normal level and these cytokines were not detected. The favorable clinical effect was achieved in 13 of the 17 patients (76%). These findings suggested that the cytokines have an important role in the pathogenesis of prostatitis and that the level of the cytokines are useful indicators in patients with prostatitis, particularly with NBP.