Values of SP-A protein in the nasal mucosa

The paranasal sinus epithelium is exposed to the environment and therefore to a variety of biological, chemical and mechanical insults. Surfactant protein A (SP-A) is a 34-36 kD pulmonary surfactant-associated protein that appears to play an important role in mammalian first-line host defence. Recent studies have reported the possibility of local production of SP-A in the extrapulmonary organs and tissues of the human body. However, the presence of SP-A in the human paranasal sinus mucosa is not well known. The purpose of this study was to investigate the expression of SP-A protein in human turbinate mucosa and to compare the expression of SP-A mRNA in normal turbinate mucosa and turbinate mucosa of chronic rhinosinusitis patients. Reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction was used to detect SP-A mRNA. Student's t test was used for statistical comparison of the SP-A/GAPDH-mRNA ratio (GAPDH: glycerinaldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase) of cases and controls. We found expression of SP-A mRNA in mucosa lining the inferior turbinates of healthy patients and its up-regulation in mucosa lining the inferior turbinates of patients with chronic rhinosinusitis. These results may provide targets for new therapies for chronic rhinosinusitis.