Semen sampling as a simple, noninvasive surrogate for prostate health screening

The detection rates for prostate cancer (pCa) by invasive biopsy are high, fully justifying its use in confirmatory testing. False-positive results of prior, relatively insensitive screening tests, however, can lead to expensive and often unnecessary surgery. Several reports have suggested the potential use of the ejaculate to screen for prostate conditions. Hitherto, the potential impact of sterilization on the diagnostic potential of seminal plasma screening has not been examined. Herein, we report cellular and molecular comparisons of semen samples obtained from normal (N = 5), vasectomized (N = 5) and prostate pathology patients (N = 4; confirmed by a biopsy) that were centrifuged over 60% PureSperm cushions. Non-penetrating cells were washed prior to immunocytochemistry with prostatic epithelial cell markers including PSMA, NKX3.1 and CD24. KRT18 was used to highlight epithelial cells in these samples. RNA sequencing was then used to identify differentially expressed small RNAs associated with vasectomy and prostate pathology. Specific gene transcripts were confirmed by RT-qPCR. PMSA