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Absorption of Nasal and Bronchial Fluids: Precision Sampling of the Human Respiratory Mucosa and Laboratory Processing of Samples
Published on: January 21, 2018
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Observations on the pathogenesis of nasal priming
M Wachs1, D Proud, L M Lichtenstein
1Department of Medicine, (Division of Clinical Immunology), Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Md.
The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology
|October 1, 1989
Summary
Priming in allergic rhinitis patients increases nasal responses to antigen challenges. This heightened sensitivity is linked to more inflammatory cells and mediators like histamine in nasal lavages.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Allergy Research
- Respiratory Medicine
Background:
- Allergic rhinitis involves hypersensitivity to environmental allergens.
- Nasal antigen challenge is used to study allergic rhinitis mechanisms.
- Priming describes an enhanced response after repeated allergen exposure.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the mechanism of priming in allergic rhinitis.
- To understand how sequential nasal challenges affect clinical and cellular responses.
Main Methods:
- Ten subjects with ragweed hay fever underwent repeated nasal pollen challenges.
- Nasal lavages were analyzed for inflammatory mediators and cell counts.
- Challenges included spaced initial exposures followed by sequential daily exposures.
Main Results:
- Priming significantly increased sneezing frequency.
- Histamine levels rose significantly during priming days.
- Inflammatory cells (neutrophils, eosinophils) and mediator levels increased in nasal lavages before challenges on priming days.
- Increased alcian blue-positive cells correlated with histamine release.
Conclusions:
- Priming in allergic rhinitis involves increased mediator release from inflammatory cells.
- Sequential nasal challenges induce cellular and mediator changes contributing to heightened allergic responses.
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