Glycoconjugate expression in perennial allergic rhinitis: a lectin histopathological study

The data show that differences in the concentrations of glycoconjugates of patients with perennial allergic rhinitis (PAR) and normal controls are modest, thus indicating that the composition of the mucus in allergic patients largely resembles that of healthy individuals. The findings may point to the need for volume reduction methods controlling mucus production in patients with PAR.

We aimed to study the composition and concentration of inferior turbinate glycoconjugates of patients with PAR.

Six specific oligosaccharides found in the inferior turbinate mucosa were stained with a battery of 10 lectins. The samples recruited for study were 15 sections from patients with PAR and 17 from healthy individuals who had no nasal disease and underwent rhinoplasty surgery for cosmetic reasons. Both groups were matched for age (p = 0.208). Results. No significant difference in the concentration of galactose, fucose, sialic acid, N-acetylglucosamine, and N-acetylgalactosamine in the epithelium and submucosal glands of the inferior turbinate was found between the groups. Likewise, neuraminidase digestion of peripheral sialic acid revealed similar concentration of the penultimate galactose residue. The only significant difference was a higher concentration of mannose in submucosal serous glands of patients with PAR compared with normal controls (p = 0.04).