The Immunoreactivity of Endothelin-1: A Comparison Study between Healthy and Diseased Nasal Mucosa / 대한이비인후과학회지

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: ndothelin-1(ET1) has been reported about it's versatile pharmagological and physiological influences to airway calibre. Some investigators suggested that ET1 exisit in the nasal mucosa, and may play a part in the exaggerated symptoms of asthma and in controlling the nasal mucosal physiology. OBJECTIVES: In order to clarify the alterations of expression of ET1 in the pathologic nasal mucosa, we investigated the distribution of ET1 by immunohistochemistry at the allergic rhinitis mucosa and the polyp tissues. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The mucosal specimens were obtained from the inferior turbinate of normal persons(n=5) and from patients with allergic rhinitis(n=10), and the polyps from the lateral nasal wall of non-allergic patients(n=10). The immunoreactivity of the ET1 was evaluated by the immunohistochemical stainig with the anti-ET1 monoclonal antibody. RESULTS: The immunoreactivity of ET1 could be observed weakely in the epithelium, in the vascular endotheluim, and in the submucosal gland. But the feature was not constant and showed no statistical significance in each group. On the other hand, strong positive immunoreactivity was noted in the cytoplasm of the granulated large cells and bilobed nuclear leukocytes in the submucosa. These cells were proved to be the mast cells and the eosinophils respectively by means of the toluidine blue and the H & E staining. CONCLUSION: These findings would be reasonable to suggested that the ET1 existed in the mast cells and the eosinophils as like cytokines, and the ET1 activity may be affected by the quantity of these cells in allergic rhinitis or nasal polyps.