Korean J Otolaryngol-Head Neck Surg.
1999 Mar;42(3):279-283.
Immunohistochemical Localization of Alpha 1-antitrypsin in the Rat Eustachian Tube and Tympanic Membrane
- Affiliations
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- 1Department of Otolaryngology, College of Medicine, Chonbuk National University, Chonju, Korea.
Abstract
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BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The major antielastase involved in preventing breakdown of elastic fiber in the airway is alpha 1-antitrypsin. In this regard, the eustachian tube may have the protease (elastase)-antiprotease (alpha 1-antitrypsin) system.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Sprague-Dawley rats were perfused with 4% paraformaldehyde. After fixation, the eustachian tube containing a part of middle ear was transfered to a 0.1 M EDTA solution, followed by embedding in paraffin wax. The avidin-biotin-peroxidase procedure was used to identify alpha 1-antitrypsin.
RESULTS
The immunoreactivity for alpha 1-antrypsin in the eustachian tube appeared strongly in the cilia of pseudostratified columnar epithelium and serous cells of the submucous glands. In the tympanic membrane, it was distributed selectively in the inner mucosal epithelium. The strong immunostaining was also noticed in the glands of external auditory canal.
CONCLUSION
We found that elastic fibers and alpha 1-antitrypsin in the eustachian tube and tympanic membrane may be interrelated to the maintenance of the normal function of the middle ear.
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