The Effect of Human Neutrophil Elastase on the Human Nasal Mucus Secretion

Kim, Jung Soo

Abstract

BACKGROUD AND OBJECTIVES: Human neutrophil elastase (HNE), secreted from neutrophil, is known to cause mucus hypersecretion in case of airway inflammation. The purpose of this study is to find out about the effect of HNE on the secretion of nasal mucosa.
SUBJECTS AND METHOD
For in vitro study, inferior turbinate mucosa samples were obtained from patients who had septal deviation and turbinate hypertrophy. Short-term organ culture was done with and without HNE (100 to 400 ng/ml). Concentration of mucin in the culture media was measured by enzyme linked lectin assay (ELLA). In in vivo study, lavage fluid was obtained from patients with chronic rhinosinusits (n=11) and from the patients with septal deviation as control (n=10) to measure the concentration of mucin and HNE by ELLA and ELISA, respectively.
RESULTS
The concentrations of HNE and mucin were significantly higher in the lavage fluid obtained from patients with chronic rhinosinusits than in that obtained from control (HNE ; 26.6+/-14.6 : 9.7+/-5.5 microgram/ml, p=0.01. Mucin ; 56.5+/-9.3 : 29.1+/-15.5 ng/ml, p=0.0002). The correlation coefficient between the concentration of HNE and mucin was not statistically significant (r=0.423). The concentration of mucin increased in dose-dependent fashion by increasing the concentration of HNE in in vitro study and HNE (400 ng/ml) significantly increased the concentration of mucin compared with that of control.
CONCLUSION
From this study, we suggest that increased HNE in the inflammation of nasal cavity could have important role in mucus hypersecrtion.