A comparative analysis of nasal secretions from subjects with and without acute rhinitis and its application to forensic medicine.

Proteins in nasal secretions obtained from healthy subjects and subjects with acute rhinitis were analyzed by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). The bands of 79 kilodalton (kD), 67 kD, 58 kD, 52 kD, 43 kD, 38 kD, 28 kD, 26 kD and below 26 kD were the proteins shared by most specimens. The state of the common cold was identified by determining the ratios of these proteins to the total proteins. 58 kD protein (IgA alpha-chain), contained mainly in glandular secretions, was found in abundance on average. However, the ratio of 67 kD protein (albumin) filtrated from the vascular system varied considerably. The highest ratio of 67 kD protein (albumin) was found in the nasal secretions obtained only from subjects with rhinitis. In nasal secretions from healthy subjects, the highest ratios of the major proteins were those of 58 kD protein (IgA alpha-chain) or proteins below 26 kD. These observations may be useful in discriminating rhinitis subjects with a common cold from healthy subjects in the forensic medical analysis of nasal smears.