Expression of Cytokines in Coculture Model with Epithelial Cells and Fibroblasts of Nasal Polyp

Kim, Sung Wan; Cho, Joong Saeng; Park, Jae Kyung; Lee, Kun Hee; Cha, Chang Il

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES
Nasal polyposis is a chronic inflammatory disease characterized histologically by edematous fluid with sparse fibrous cells, few mucous glands and proliferation of stromal and epithelial cells. There have been many studies done separately about epithelial cells, fibroblasts, and other inflammatory cells in nasal polyps. However, there is no usable study model for the cell-to-cell interaction. Therefore, we tried to make a new model for the study of nasal polyp by coculture of epithelial cells and fibroblasts.
SUBJECTS AND METHOD
Nasal polyp was collected during endoscopic sinus surgery. Almost half of them were used for epithelial cell culture and the remaining portion was used for fibroblast culture in the same polyp. Using a transwell insert, fibroblasts were placed in the bottom and epithelial cells were placed on the insert, respectively. RNA were isolated both from epithelial cells and fibroblasts of 12, 24, and 48 hours' coculture. The expressions of IL-8, IL-6, and eotaxin from cocultured cells were compared with cells that were cultured alone by semiquantitative RT-PCR.
RESULTS
IL-8 was highly expressed in fibroblasts than in epithelial cells, especially in cocultured cells. The expression of IL-6 in fibroblasts was much higher than in epithelial cells, especially in cocultured fibroblasts. Eotaxin is weakly expressed in fibroblasts but not in epithelial cells.
CONCLUSION
These findings indicate that cocultured cells show different expression of the mRNA of various cytokines compared with cultured cells alone. And this coculture system may be more ideal than the mono-cell culture system for the study of cell-to-cell interactions and to reveal the pathogenesis of nasal polyposis.