Inflammatory status of periprostatic adipose tissue from men with prostate cancer: Ethno-geographic variations and association with lipid composition.

Background: Since prostate cancer (PCa) risk is associated with ethnicity, it is crucial to investigate ethno-geographic variations in PCa studies. Periprostatic adipose tissue (PPAT) has been involved in cancer aggressiveness through the release of lipids and inflammatory mediators, and we previously reported a different lipid composition of PPAT according to the ethno-geographic origin. We aimed to analyze the expression of a panel of adipokines in PPAT from African-Caribbean and Caucasian patients, in correlation with features of PCa aggressiveness and lipid composition.

Methods: Adipokines expression was analyzed by RTqPCR in PPAT from 110 Caucasians and 50 African-Caribbeans patients, in parallel with the characterization of fatty acids and cholesterol content.

Results: The most expressed cytokines were IL10, leptin and IL8. The expression of most adipokines was higher in PPAT from Caucasians compared to African-Caribbean patients. IL6 was associated with features of PCa aggressiveness in Caucasians, with a difference close to significance. Most cytokines were associated with the lipid composition of PPAT, mainly with arachidonic acid and free cholesterol content.

Conclusions: The differential cytokines expression in PPAT from African-Caribbean patients compared to Caucasians probably reflects a different inflammatory status. The close relationship between adipokines expression and lipid composition highlights the importance of diet and lipid metabolism in adipose tissue inflammation.