PD-1 and PD-L1 Expression Levels as a Potential Biomarker of Chronic Rhinosinusitis and Head and Neck Cancers

Inflammation is an etiological factor of various chronic diseases contributing to more than 50% of worldwide deaths. In this study, we focus on the immunosuppressive role of the programmed death-1 (PD-1) receptor and its ligand (PD-L1) in inflammatory-related diseases, including chronic rhinosinusitis and head and neck cancers. The study included 304 participants. Of this number, 162 patients had chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP), 40 patients had head and neck cancer (HNC) and there were 102 healthy subjects. The expression level of the PD-1 and PD-L1 genes in the tissues of the study groups was measured by qPCR and Western blot methods. The associations between the age of the patients and the extent of disease and genes' expression were evaluated. The study showed a significantly higher mRNA expression of PD-1 and PD-L1 in the tissues of both the CRSwNP and HNC patient groups compared to the healthy group. The severity of CRSwNP significantly correlated with the mRNA expression of PD-1 and PD-L1. Similarly, the age of the NHC patients influenced PD-L1 expression. In addition, a significantly higher level of PD-L1 protein was noticed also for both the CRSwNP and HNC patient groups. The increased expression of PD-1 and PD-L1 may be a potential biomarker of inflammatory-related diseases, including chronic rhinosinusitis and head and neck cancers.