Inflammatory infiltration and tissue remodeling in nasal polyps and adjacent mucosa of unaffected sinus

Int J Clin Exp Pathol. 2018 May 1;11(5):2707-2713. eCollection 2018.

Abstract

Background: This study was designed to explore the characteristics of inflammatory infiltration and tissue remodeling in the adjacent unaffected sinus mucosa of the polyp tissue (ANP).

Methods: Nasal polyps (NP) and ANP were obtained from 24 CRSwNP patients who received endoscopic sinus surgery. The frequency and distribution of Eosinophils, T lymphocytes (CD4+ T cells and CD8+ T cells), B lymphocytes, native macrophages, regulatory T cells and the total of inflammatory cells were detected by immunohistochemistry and hematoxylin-eosin stain. The thickness of the basal membrane was evaluated.

Results: Multivariate analysis of Variance (MANOVA) and F-tests were conducted for each independent variable between two groups. With test criterion alpha = 0.05, significant differences were observed between NP and ANP groups in terms of CD3 (F-Value = 10.47, P-value = 0.0120), CD4 (F-Value = 9.03, P-value = 0.0169), CD8 (F-Value = 17.03, P-value = 0.0033) and regulatory T cells (F-Value = 60.42, P-value <0.0001). Wilks' Lambda test (F-Value = 25.74, P-value = 0.1513) was conducted and no significant difference was observed between the NP group and the ANP group. The percentage of regulatory T cells in ANP was significantly higher than that in NP (3.7110±0.2395 vs 14.6300±1.8360).

Conclusion: ANP and NP may be one disease entity. Treg cells have impacts on the morphology of the tissues and might be a key factor in the further development of ANP.

Keywords: Chronic rhinosinusitis; eosinophils; nasal polyp; regulatory T cell.