CYTOKINES IN NASAL POLYPOSIS - A NEW DIME NSION OF RESEARCH

The etiology and pathogenesis of nasal polyposis still remains unclear . In this pilot study, we have investigated the concentrations of vari ous cytokines (IL-1 beta, IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, TNF), chemokines (IL-8, RA NTES, Gro-alpha) and the IL-1 receptor antagonist IL-1ra (IRAP) in pol yp tissue in comparison to normal nasal mucosa. The findings are summa rized as follows: 1) The tissue concentration of the IL-I receptor ant agonist is significantly reduced Fn polyps, whereas no difference coul d be found for the cytokine itself. 2) The concentrations of IL-6, IL- 8, TNF and RANTES do hot differ between the groups, but there is a sig nificantly higher concentration for Gro-alpha in the polyp tissues. 3) In clear contrast to normal mucosa, IL-5 can constantly be detected i n polyp tissue. 4) IL-4 could only be measured in one out of 13 polyps and in none of the normal specimen. These findings point to a possibl e lack of IL-1 antagonism in polyps and to the pivotal role of IL-5 as eosinophil activation and survival factor. The lack of IL-4 does not support the hypothesis of a possible allergic pathogenesis of this dis ease. The study demonstrates that the investigation of cytokines End t heir antagonists may give new insights into the pathogenesis bf nasal polyposis.