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TNF α is localized to nasal mucosal mast cells and is released in acute allergic rhinitis
Author(s) -
BRADDING P.,
MEDIWAKE R.,
FEATHER I. H.,
MADDEN J.,
CHURCH M. K.,
HOLGATE S. T.,
HOWARTH P. H.
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
clinical and experimental allergy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.462
H-Index - 154
eISSN - 1365-2222
pISSN - 0954-7894
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2222.1995.tb01071.x
Subject(s) - eosinophil , tryptase , tumor necrosis factor alpha , eosinophil cationic protein , immunology , medicine , cytokine , mucous membrane of nose , mast cell , allergic inflammation , pathology , inflammation , asthma
Summary Allergic mucosal inflammation is characterized by tissue infiltration with eosinophils, and associated activation of mast cells and T lymphocytes. Tumour necrosis factor (TNF) alpha/cachectin is a candidate cytokine relevant to the pathogenesis of these events through its capacity to upregulate the expression of endothelial cell adhesion molecules, mediate granulocyte chemoattraction, and activate eosinophils, mast cells and T cells. To investigate the presence and localization of TNF α in the nasal mucosa in allergic rhinitis, nasal biopsies from perennial rhinitic ( n =13) and non‐rhinitic volunteers ( n =11) were embedded in glycol methacrylate and immunostained with a monoclonal antibody directed against TNF α, and adjacent 2μm sections stained for tryptase, CD3 and eosinophil cationic protein. This identified positive immunostaining for TNF α in the submucosa of both the rhinitic and normal subjects (median cell counts 13 and 23 cells/mm 2 respectively, P= 0.24) with cellular localization to mast cells but not to T‐lymphocytes or eosinophils. In a subsequent study of seven atopic subjects, nasal allergen challenge produced increases in lavage levels of histamine and albumin, which was associated with significant release of TNF α as early as 2 min post‐allergen when compared with the saline control day ( P =0.5). This difference was also apparent when studying the area under the curve both at 30 and 60 min post‐challenge t ‐test ( P =0.015 and 0.02 respectively). These findings which both locate immunoreactive TNF α to nasal mast cells and identify its release following in vivo exposure to allergen, provide evidence for mast cells as an important source of this cytokine in patients with allergic rhinitis.