The purpose of the study was to investigate expressions of nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) and intercellular cell adhesion molecule-1 mRNA (ICAM-1 mRNA) in the nasal mucosa of allergic rhinitis (AR) patients. Expressions of NF-κB and ICAM-1 mRNA were studied using immunohistochemistry and reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR) in AR tissues and corresponding normal nasal mucosa. The correlation between NF-κB and ICAM-1 mRNA was studied using linear correlation analysis. The results of immunohistochemistry showed that expression of NF-κB was significantly up-regulated in the nasal mucosa of AR compared with that in normal tissue (P < 0.01), over-expression of NF-κB p50 was found in the cytoplasm and nucleus (P < 0.01), and NF-κB p65 was mainly expressed in the cytoplasm (P < 0.01). ICAM-1 mRNA was strongly expressed in the nasal mucosa of AR compared with that in normal tissue as shown by RT-PCR (P < 0.01). Up-regulation of ICAM-1 mRNA was significantly correlated with over-expressions of NF-κB p50 and NF-κB p65 (r = 0.8995, P < 0.01; r = 0.7601, P < 0.01). In conclusion, NF-κB plays a key role in AR. Excessively activated NF-κB promotes the transcription of ICAM-1 mRNA. ICAM-1 is related to the pathogenesis and development of AR.