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Experimental autoimmune vesiculo-prostatitis (EAVP) was transferred within inbred Wistar rats by a relatively small number of spleen cells obtained 30 days after immunization of donors with MAG extract in CFA and injected in the internal jugular vein of recipients. Specific tissue alterations identical to those present in the glands of the donors were observed 7 days after the transfer of the cells. The main alteration present was infiltration of mononuclear cells in the interstitium accompanied by fibrosis in more severe cases and flattening of epithelium in the ventral and dorsal prostate, seminal vesicle, and occasionally in coagulating gland. Nine out of ten recipients developed sexual accessory glandular lesions of various degrees. No histological alterations were observed in the absence of cell-mediated immune response and extensive damage was only observed in rats expressing two or more positive assays. The separation of the transferred cells into enriched population of T and B cells has proved that T lymphocytes are required for the production of the tissue lesions. Depletion of T lymphocytes by nylon wool separation and anti-rat thymocytes serum and complement completely abrogate their capacity to transfer the glandular alterations. Furthermore, specific antibody precursor cells on their own seem to be incapable to promote the antibody synthesis and to initiate the glandular damage. We conclude that T lymphocytes are required for the adoptive transfer of specific tissue damage observed in autoimmune vesiculo-prostatitis as well as for the development of a cell-mediated immune response to MAG antigens. Whether the same or distinct T-cell subsets are involved in these two effects is discussed.

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In our experimental model of autoimmune vesiculo-prostatitis, obtained by immunization with syngeneic male accessory glands (MAG) and complete Freund's adjuvant, the presence of specific autoreactive cells with cytotoxic activity against prostate antigens was studied. The specific cytotoxicity generated in MAG immunized rats was tested using 51Cr labelled syngeneic prostate cells or labelled chicken erythrocytes coated with specific antigens (MAG homogenate or chromatographic fractions from prostate homogenate) which were used as target cells in a medium free of complement. The addition of spleen sensitized cells to prostate cells suspension produced a significant release of 51Cr in regard to normal effector cells (11.87 +/- SE 1.12 versus 1.5 +/- 0.75). Similar results were obtained when MAG-coated erythrocytes were used as target cells (10.87 +/- SE 0.62 versus 1.50 +/- 0.25). Depletion of T but no B or adherent-cells was shown to abolish the lytic effect indicating that MAG immunization provides determinants which are recognized by sensitized T-cells on cells of the prostate gland where the most severe tissue alterations were previously observed. Erythrocytes coated with chromatographic fractions obtained from prostate homogenate were used to identify the antigens triggering the lytic effect. It was demonstrated that two fractions (FI and FII) functioned as in vivo sensitizing antigens as well as in vitro activating antigens for themselves. The restimulation in vitro of sensitized cells with purified prostate fractions induces an additional lytic effect suggesting that an expansion of effector cells may take place after contacting the antigens at the prostate site.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)