AUTHOR=Du He-Xi , Yue Shao-Yu , Niu Di , Liu Chang , Zhang Li-Gang , Chen Jing , Chen Yang , Guan Yu , Hua Xiao-Liang , Li Chun , Chen Xian-Guo , Zhang Li , Liang Chao-Zhao TITLE=Gut Microflora Modulates Th17/Treg Cell Differentiation in Experimental Autoimmune Prostatitis via the Short-Chain Fatty Acid Propionate JOURNAL=Frontiers in Immunology VOLUME=13 YEAR=2022 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/immunology/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2022.915218 DOI=10.3389/fimmu.2022.915218 ISSN=1664-3224 ABSTRACT=
Chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CP/CPPS) is a very common urological disorder and has been gradually regarded as an immune-mediated disease. Multiple studies have indicated that the gut microflora plays a pivotal part in immune homeostasis and autoimmune disorder development. However, whether the gut microflora affects the CP/CPPS, and the underlying mechanism behind them remain unclear. Here, we built an experimental autoimmune prostatitis (EAP) mouse model by subcutaneous immunity and identified that its Th17/Treg frequency was imbalanced. Using fecal 16s rRNA sequencing and untargeted/targeted metabolomics, we discovered that the diversity and relative abundance of gut microflora and their metabolites were obviously different between the control and the EAP group. Propionic acid, a kind of short-chain fatty acid (SCFA), was decreased in EAP mice compared to that in controls, and supplementation with propionic acid reduced susceptibility to EAP and corrected the imbalance of Th17/Treg cell differentiation