Local Effect of Neurotrophin-3 in Neuronal Inflammation of Allergic Rhinitis: Preliminary Report

Abstract

Background: Allergic rhinitis is a common inflammatory nasal mucosal disease characterized by sneezing, watery nasal discharge, nasal obstruction and itching. Although allergen-specific antibodies play a main role in the allergic airway inflammation, neuronal inflammation may also contribute to the symptoms of allergic rhinitis. Neuronal inflammation is primarily caused by the stimulation of sensory nerve endings with histamine. It has been shown that neurotrophins may also have a role in allergic reactions and neuronal inflammation. Nerve growth factor, neurotrophin 3 (NT-3), neurotrophin 4/5 and brain-derived neurotrophic factor are members of the neurotrophin family. Although nerve growth factor and brain-derived neurotrophic factor are well studied in allergic rhinitis patients, the exact role of Neurotrophin-3 is not known. Aims: To investigate the possible roles of neurotrophin-3 in allergic rhinitis patients. Study Design: Case-control study. Methods: Neurotrophin-3 levels were studied in the inferior turbinate and serum samples of 20 allergic rhinitis and 13 control patients. Neurotrophin-3 staining of nasal tissues was evaluated by immunohistochemistry and ELISA was used for the determination of serum Neurotrophin-3 levels. Results: Neurotrophin-3 staining scores were statistically higher in the study group than in the control patients (p=0.001). Regarding serum Neurotrophin-3 levels, no statistically significant difference could be determined between allergic rhinitis and control patients (p=0.156). When comparing the serum NT-3 levels with tissue staining scores, there were no statistically significant differences in the allergic rhinitis and control groups (p=0.254 for allergic rhinitis and p=0.624 for control groups). Conclusion: We suggest that Neurotrophin-3 might affect the nasal mucosa locally without being released into the systemic circulation in allergic rhinitis patients.

Keywords

• Airway, allergic rhinitis, inflammation, neuronal, neurotrophin-3, rhinitis

Kaynakça

1. 1. Wilson KF, Spector ME, Orlandi RR. Types of rhinitis. Otolaryngol Clin N Am 2011;44:549-59. [CrossRef]
2. 2. Gelincik A, Aydin F, Ozerman B, Erguven M, Aydin S, Bilir A, et al. Enhanced nerve growth factor expression by mast cells does not differ significantly between idiopathic and allergic rhinitis. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol 2012;108:396-401. [CrossRef]
3. 3. Sarin S, Undem B, Sanico A, Togias A. The role of the nervous system in rhinitis. J Allergy Clin Immunol 2006;118:999-1016. [CrossRef]
4. 4. Baraniuk JN, Druce HM. Neuroregulation of mucosal vasculature. In: Holgate ST, Busse WW, editors. Inflammatory mechanisms in asthma. Newyork: Marcel Dekker; 1998:619-37.
5. 5. Kim D, Baraniuk JN. Neural aspects of allergic rhinitis. Curr Opin Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 2007;15:268-73. [CrossRef]
6. 6. Takahashi Y, Kagawa Y, Izawa K, Ono R, Akagi M, Kamei C. Effect of histamine H4 receptor antagonist on allergic rhinitis in mice. Int Immunopharmacol 2009;9:734-8. [CrossRef]
7. 7. Nockher WA, Renz H. Neurotrophins and asthma: novel insight into neuroimmune interaction. J Allergy Clin Immunol 2006;117:67-71. [CrossRef]
8. 8. Rochlitzer S, Nassenstein C, Braun A. The contribution of neurotrophins to the pathogenesis of allergic asthma. Biochem Soc Trans 2006;34:594-9. [CrossRef]

9. 9. Quarcoo D, Fischer TC, Peckenschneider N, Groneberg DA, Welker P. High abundances of neurotrophin 3 in atopic dermatitis mast cell. J Occup Med Toxicol 2009;4:8. [CrossRef]
10. 10. Abram M, Wegmann M, Fokuhl V, Sonar S, Luger EO, Kerzel S, et al. Nerve growth factor and neurotrophin-3 mediate survival of pulmonary plasma cells during the allergic airway inflammation. J Immunol 2009;182:4705-12. [CrossRef]
11. 11. Renz H. The role of neurotrophins in bronchial asthma. Eur J Pharmacol 2001;429:231-7. [CrossRef]
12. 12. Bonini S, Lambiase A, Bonini S, Angelucci F, Magrini L, Manni L, et al. Circulating nerve growth factor levels are increased in humans with allergic diseases and asthma. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 1996;93:10955-60. [CrossRef]