Immunohistochemical distribution of fibronectin in the mucosa with chronic sinusitis.

The distribution of fibronectin (FN) in operative specimens of maxillary sinus mucosa from 35 patients with chronic sinusitis was examined immunohistochemically. Mouse monoclonal antibody to human FN was used for the peroxidase-antiperoxidase staining technique. FN was found in most of the serous cells and in some (about 10%) of the mucous cells in the nasal glands, and also in the nasal fluid in the lumina. It was not found elsewhere, be it in the epithelial cells, the basement membrane, or the interstitial tissue, except in two patients. These results suggest that FN is produced in the nasal glands and secreted into the nasal fluid in the maxillary sinus in chronic sinusitis.