Yu Chen-Jie, Cui Xin-Yan, Lu Ling, Yang Jun, Chen Bin, Zhu Cheng-Wen, Gao Xia
Department of Otolaryngology, Drum Tower Clinical Medical School, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210008, P.R. China.
Department of Otolaryngology, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Nanjing University School of Medicine, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210008, P.R. China.
Exp Ther Med. 2017 May;13(5):1753-1756. doi: 10.3892/etm.2017.4215. Epub 2017 Mar 9.
Aquaporins (AQPs) are water-specific membrane channel proteins that regulate water homeostasis for cells and organisms. AQP5 serves an important role in the maintenance of mucosal water homeostasis, and potentially contributes to mucosal edema and inflammation formation in chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS). The aim of the present study was to explore the expression pattern of AQP5 and the effect of glucocorticoids on AQP5 expression in rats with CRS. The rats were randomly divided into three equal groups, as follows: CRS, dexamethasone (dexa) treatment and control groups. A polyvinyl acetal material containing was inserted into the left nasal cavity of each rat from the CRS and dexa groups. On the 90th post-operative day, the dexa group received dexamethasone (2 mg/kg/day) via intraperitoneal injection for 7 days. The controls did not receive any treatment. The expression of AQP5 in the sinonasal mucosa was determined using immunohistochemistry and quantitative PCR. The immunoreactivities of AQP5 were primarily noted in the epithelial lining and glandular cells, the vascular endothelium and in the goblet cells in the sinonasal mucosa. The AQP5 mRNA expression level was significantly higher in the dexa group than in the control and CRS groups (P=0.006 and P=0.014, respectively). However, no significant difference was indicated between the CRS and control groups (P=0.760). In conclusion, the current study suggests that glucocorticoids induce AQP5 expression in the sinonasal mucosa of CRS rats, which highlights AQP5 as a potential target in the diagnosis and treatment of CRS.
水通道蛋白（AQPs）是特异性的水膜通道蛋白，可调节细胞和生物体的水平衡。水通道蛋白5在维持黏膜水平衡中起重要作用，并可能导致慢性鼻-鼻窦炎（CRS）中黏膜水肿和炎症的形成。本研究旨在探讨水通道蛋白5在CRS大鼠中的表达模式以及糖皮质激素对其表达的影响。将大鼠随机分为三组，每组数量相等，分别为：CRS组、地塞米松（dexa）治疗组和对照组。将含有聚乙烯醇缩醛材料插入CRS组和dexa组每只大鼠的左鼻腔。术后第90天，dexa组通过腹腔注射给予地塞米松（2 mg/kg/天），持续7天。对照组未接受任何治疗。采用免疫组织化学和定量PCR法检测鼻黏膜中水通道蛋白5的表达。水通道蛋白5的免疫反应主要见于鼻黏膜的上皮衬里、腺细胞、血管内皮和杯状细胞。dexa组水通道蛋白5 mRNA表达水平显著高于对照组和CRS组（分别为P = 0.006和P = 0.014）。然而，CRS组和对照组之间无显著差异（P = 0.760）。总之，本研究表明糖皮质激素可诱导CRS大鼠鼻黏膜中水通道蛋白5的表达，这突出了水通道蛋白5作为CRS诊断和治疗潜在靶点的作用。
