Biological markers in nasal secretions

Area of Science:

• Rhinology
• Biomarker Analysis
• Clinical Diagnostics

Background:

• Nasal secretions contain biological markers crucial for understanding nasal pathophysiology.
• Inconsistent published data on nasal fluid biomarker concentrations highlight a need for systematic evaluation of sampling technique bias.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of different sampling techniques on the measured concentrations of biological markers in nasal secretions.
• To compare the efficacy of nasal lavage (NL) versus a polyurethane foam sampler technique (PFST) for biomarker analysis.

Main Methods:

• Analyzed concentrations of alpha2-macroglobulin, lactoferrin, lactate dehydrogenase, IL-1beta, IL-8, TNF-alpha, eosinophil cationic protein, and tryptase in nasal secretions.
• Employed four different sampling methods, including nasal lavage and polyurethane foam sampler technique, in 16 healthy volunteers.

Main Results:

• Analyte concentrations were approximately 10-fold lower in nasal lavage specimens compared to those from the polyurethane foam sampler technique.
• Nasal lavage resulted in unpredictable dilution, causing many analytes to fall below detection limits, unlike the polyurethane foam sampler technique.
• No significant differences were observed in plasma contamination, glandular secretion, or tissue injury markers between the methods.

Conclusions:

• The significant variability in reported nasal secretion analyte concentrations is primarily attributable to the sampling technique used.
• Polyurethane foam samplers are superior to nasal lavage for collecting nasal secretions for biomarker analysis, yielding more consistent and detectable results.