Anti-inflammatory effects of polihexanide and polyethylene glycol in an in vitro study in chronic rhinosinusitis

The majority of patients affected by chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) suffer from eosinophilic infiltration. We hypothesised that polihexanide and polyethylene glycol as an antiseptic might alter the eosinophil-associated IL-5 and eotaxin-3 expression in CRS and also the expression of MMP-9, being involved in the tissue-remodelling in CRS. After obtaining samples from 10 CRS patients with (CRSwNP) and without nasal-polyposis (CRSsNP) and 2 patients with inverted-papilloma undergoing functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS), the expression of interleukin-5, eotaxin-3 and MMP-9 were evaluated by an ELISA assay with and without the tested agent. CRSwNP showed a significantly increased expression of IL-5. Polihexanide seems not to alter the attraction of eosinophils in patients with CRS via IL-5 expression. Also elevated levels of MMP-9 could not be reduced to normal values. But there exists statistically significant evidence that the self-amplification process of eosinophils via eotaxin-3 could be influenced by the administration of polihexanide.