Intracellular Propionibacterium acnes infection in prostate glands is an independent risk factor for prostate cancer

2016 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 26462404
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Urology
• Research Institution: Tokyo Medical and Dental University
• Principal Investigator: Eishi Yoshinobu 東京医科歯科大学, 大学院医歯学総合研究科, 教授 (70151959)
• Research Collaborator: KAKEGAWA Tomoya ; TOMII Syohei ; OGAWA Tomohisa ; TAKEMOTO Akira ; KONTA Atsuko
• Project Period (FY): 2014-04-01 – 2017-03-31
• Keywords: アクネ菌 / 前立腺癌 / 持続感染 / 前立腺炎 / 新規診断マーカー / 発癌モデル

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Propionibacterium acnes has recently been implicated as a cause of chronic prostatitis and this commensal bacterium may be linked to prostate carcinogenesis. The frequency of P. acnes-positive glands in prostate biopsy samples was higher in PCa samples than in control samples. These results suggested that the frequency of P. acnes-positive glands can be supportive information for urologists in planning repeated biopsy or follow-up strategies. Furthermore, Intracellular P. acnes infection of prostate induced in mice by transurethral inoculation of viable P. acnes induced chronic prostatitis and activates STAT3 in epithelial cells of the P. acnes-infected prostate glands, suggesting that deregulation and inappropriate activation of STAT3 may play a central role in prostate carcinogenesis by P. acnes infection. Further experiments with mice infected in prostate by P. acnes are now in progress and long-term infection may be able to induce prostate cancer in the experimental animals.

Free Research Field

病理学