Unprecedentedly High Level of Intracellular Vitamin C and DNA Epigenetic Marks in Prostate: Relevant for Male Fertility?

Background/aims: Seminal plasma composition is affected by the physiological state of the prostate, the major male reproductive gland. Semen components, like vitamin C, can modulate sperm function. Vitamin C is an effective scavenger of free radicals and is an essential component of enzymes such as TET proteins involved in the DNA demethylation process. In the present study, a broad range of parameters which may influence the metabolic state of the prostate gland were analysed including blood and prostate tissue vitamin C, epigenetic DNA modifications and 8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2'-deoxyguanosine in DNA of leukocytes and prostate tissues.

Methods: The experimental material were tissue samples from patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), normal/marginal prostate tissues from prostate cancer patients, leukocytes from healthy donors, and blood plasma from BPH patients and healthy donors. We applied ultra-performance liquid chromatography methods with mass spectrometry and/or UV detection.

Results: We found an unprecedentedly high level of intracellular vitamin C in all analysed prostatic tissues (benign prostatic hyperplasia and normal, marginal ones), a value much higher than in leukocytes and most human tissues. DNA epigenetic patterns in prostate cells are similar to other soft tissues like the colon, however, its uniqueness is the unprecedentedly high level of 5-(hydroxymethyl)-2'-deoxyuridine and a significant increase in 5-formyl-2'-deoxycytidine value compared to aforementioned tissues. Moreover, the level of 8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2'-deoxyguanosine, an established marker of oxidative stress, is significantly higher in prostate tissues than in leukocytes and many previously studied soft tissues.

Conclusion: Our results pointed out that prostatic vitamin C (regarded as the main supplier of the vitamin C to seminal plasma) and the DNA modifications (which may be linked to the regeneration of prostate epithelium) may play important role to maintain the prostate health.