Objective   To investigate the effects of prostatitis on secretory alterations of urethral glands in rats.    Methods   Twenty adult Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into prostatitis group and control group. The prostatitis group (n=10) was injected with 0.1 ml Freund’s complete adjuvant at each lateral lobe while the control group (n=10) with 0.1 ml 0.9% physiological saline. Two weeks later the rats were killed and the urethral glands were harvested for pathologic examination and immunohistochemical staining.    Results   ① There was a great quantity of lymphcells and mononuclear cells infiltrating the prostate gland in prostatitis group while there was no inflammatory cells in control group. ② AB-PAS pathologic examination results in urethral glands showed that the grume area

diameter

optical density in control group were significantly less than those of the prostatitis group (P0.05). ③ MUC5AC immunohistochemical staining results in urethral glands suggested that masculine particle area and average optical density of the urethral gland cells in control group were significantly less than that of the prostatitis group (P0.05).     Conclusion   Prostatitis may strengthen the synthesis and secretion of mucus in the urethral glands

which might be the reason why prostatitis patients have more urethral secretion.