Fig. 5

5-HIAA supplementation ameliorated the symptoms of EAP caused by HSD. a The levels of 5-HIAA secreted into the serum of the mice were measured in 4 groups: Ctrl + NSD, Ctrl + HSD, EAP + NSD, and EAP + HSD groups (n = 4). b Simple schematic diagram of the experimental workflow. c HE staining and inflammation scores of prostate tissues (scale bar = 100 μm, n = 4). d Tactile allodynia development in NOD mice in the 4 groups (n = 4). e Secretion levels of IL-1β, TNF-α, and IL-17A in the serum of mice in the 5 groups (n = 4). f Flow cytometry was used to determine the proportion of Th17 of CD4⁺ T cells among the splenic lymphocytes of immunized mice in the 5 groups (n = 4). g The infiltration of Th17 cells in prostate tissues from mice was determined by immunofluorescence (white arrowheads, scale bar = 100 μm, n = 4). ^*P < 0.05, ^**P < 0.01, ^***P < 0.001, ^****P < 0.0001; ns non-significant. NOD nonobese male diabetic/LtJ, BF breeding feed, EAP experimental autoimmune prostatitis, HSD high-salt diet, NSD normal-salt diet, HE hematoxylin–eosin, IL-1β interleukin-1β, TNF-α tumor necrosis factor-α, IL-17A interleukin-17A, 5-HIAA 5-hydroxyindole acetic acid, DAPI 4',6-diamidino-2-phenylindole