Nerve growth factor and chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome

Objectives. To investigate whether the pain experienced by patients with chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CPPS) may be related to the expression of nerve growth factor (NGF), induced by inflammation and tissue injury experienced as a result of chronic inflammation. CPPS is a disease of unknown pathogenesis. Methods. We measured the levels of NGF and the pro-inflammatory cytokine interleukin (IL)-6 and compared these with the levels of IL-8, interferon-gamma, IL-2, and IL-10 in the seminal plasma of 31 patients with CPPS and 14 controls using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay technology. Results were correlated with health-related quality of life as measured by the multidimensional pain inventory, the McGill pain questionnaire, and the International Prostate Symptom Score. Results. The cytokines analyzed were detectable in the seminal plasma from the patients with CPPS and controls. NGF correlated directly with pain severity (P <0.01) and IL-10 levels (P <0.04), and IL-6 correlated inversely with pain severity (P <0.03). Conclusions. These results suggest that NGF and cytokines that regulate inflammation (IL-6 and IL-10) may play a role in the pain symptoms experienced by patients with CPPS.