Background and Objectives: RANTES is a powerful chemotactic and activating factor to some inflammatory cells including eosinophils, which represent the most abundant cell type among the numerous cellular infiltrates of nasal polyps. RANTES
may
have an important role in the recruitment of inflammatory cells during the development of nasal polyps. The purpose of this study is to investigate RANTES mRNA expression in nasal polyps, ethmoiditis mucosa and in the early recurrent nasal polyps
in
order to identify its role as a chemoattractant in recurrent nasal polyps. Materials: Tissue samples of nasal polyps, ethmoiditis mucosa, and early recurrent nasal polyps were obtained from an endoscopic sinus surgery. For these samples,
light
microscopic examination for histopathology and RT-PCRs fro RANTES mRNA expression were performed. Three normal ethmoidal mucosa and four hypertrophied inferior turbinates were also evaluated. Results: Tissue infiltration of eosinophils
observed
under the light microscope was in the following order : early recurrent nasal polyps (91%), nasal polyps (60%), and ethmoiditis mucosa (40%). About 97% of early recurrent nasal polyps showed RANTES mRNA expression, but nasal polyps and
ethmoiditis
mucosa showed 60% and 56% of expression rates. Conclusion: The results suggest that RANTES may play an important role in the development of early recurrent nasal polyps undergoing active inflammatory reactions and the recruitment of some
inflammatory cells including eosinophils. Further investigations for other chemokines related to eosinophils will provide better understanding of the mechanism in the formation of nasal polyps.
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