Introduction: Chronic prostatitis is a non-infectious inflammatory disorder that plays an important role in the development lower urinary tract disease. Pro-inflammatory cytokines are key regulators of the inflammation process in prostate. IL-1ß can directly attract innate inflammatory cells, cause tissue destruction, altered pain threshold, and initiate adaptive immunity. We hope to study the effectiveness of DNA aptamers to inhibit IL-1ß mediated prostate inflammation in an experimental rat model of non-bacterial prostatitis (NBP). Methods: In this study, we investigated the effects of inflammatory cytokine targeting aptamers (ICTA), a putative neutralizer of TNF-a and IL-1ß activation, on local carrageenan-induced prostate inflammation in aged rats. The von Frey filament and tail-flick tests were performed to determine mechanical allodynia (a painful sensation caused by innocuous stimuli, e.g., light touch) and thermal hyperalgesia (a condition of altered perception of temperature), respectively, and prostate inflammation was examined 7 days after the administration of drugs. Results: The levels of mononuclear cell infiltration, pro-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-1ß, caspase 1(casp-1), and NALP 3 (NALP3) in the prostate of aged rats were increased 168 h after the NBP induction. Treatment with ICTA significantly attenuated carrageenan-induced allodynia, hyperalgesia, the increase in prostate glandular hyperplasia, and immune cell infiltration, and elevated levels of downstream cytokines including IL-18, TNF-a, and IL-33 in aged rats. Apoptosis markers, Bcl-2 and caspase-3, were found elevated. Conclusions: Our results showed that ICTA provides protection against local carrageenan exposure-induced enhanced pain sensitivity (allodynia and hyperalgesia), and that the protective effects may be associated with its ability to neutralize carrageenan-induced IL-1ß activation, and result in apoptosis in the prostate of aged rats. SOURCE OF Funding: This research was funded by the Chang Gung Medical Foundation, Grant Number CMRPG6L0421-23, CORPG6M0011, CMRPG6L0211-12, CMRPG6M0161, NMRPG6M0071
