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Detecting local immunoglobulin E from mucosal brush biopsy of the inferior turbinates using microarray analysis
1Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Weill Cornell Medical College, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, 1305 York Avenue, New York, NY 10021, USA. wir2011@med.cornell.edu
Insights
Microarray analysis (MA) accurately detects antigen-specific immunoglobulin E (IgE) in nasal mucosal brush biopsy (MBB) samples, even with small IgE amounts. This method shows promise for future MBB analysis in allergy diagnostics.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Allergy Diagnostics
- Biomarker Detection
Background:
- Local, antigen-specific immunoglobulin E (IgE) detection via nasal mucosal brush biopsy (MBB) is challenging due to small sample volumes.
- Microarray analysis (MA) is a promising technique requiring less IgE for detection, making it suitable for MBB samples.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the efficacy of MA versus standard IgE assays for detecting antigen-specific IgE from MBB samples.
- To assess the association between multiple positive components on MA and standard IgE assay/skin-prick testing (SPT) results.
Main Methods:
- MBB samples from 18 allergic rhinitis patients were analyzed using MA for airborne and food allergens.
- Fisher's exact probability testing was employed to compare MA with standard IgE assay results for specific allergens.
Main Results:
- MA demonstrated a very high correlation with the standard IgE assay (p < 0.0001).
- Fifty percent of positive antigens on MA indicated multiple components, but this was not associated with standard IgE levels or SPT grade.
Conclusions:
- This study is the first to show MA can measure antigen-specific IgE in saline MBB samples.
- MA's ability to detect IgE in small sample volumes with high accuracy offers potential advantages for future MBB analysis.
Background:
It has been previously demonstrated that local, antigen-specific immunoglobulin E (IgE) can be detected using a standard in vitro assay of lysed epithelial cells in saline, harvested via nasal mucosal brush biopsy (MBB). However, compared to surgical biopsy or serum, smaller amounts of IgE are harvested using MBB, making detection much more difficult. Microarray analysis (MA) requires less IgE for detection, making this an attractive option for MBB. The goals of this study were to compare MA to a standard IgE assay for detecting antigen-specific IgE from MBB and to test the association between the presence of multiple positive components on MA with specific IgE on standard assay and skin-prick testing (SPT) grade.
Methods:
MBB samples from 18 allergic rhinitis patients, which were previously tested for antigen-specific IgE to common airborne allergens using a standard IgE assay, underwent MA for antigen-specific IgE to multiple components of airborne and food allergens. Fisher's exact probability testing was used to measure the strength of association between the 2 testing modalities for Timothy grass, ragweed, cat, Alternaria, and D. farinae.
Results:
MA correlated very highly with standard assay (p < 0.0001) and 50% of positive antigens on MA detected multiple components to that antigen. The presence of multiple components was not associated with specific IgE levels on standard assay or SPT grade.
Conclusion:
This is the first demonstration that antigen-specific IgE in saline samples can be measured using MA. The ability of MA to measure smaller amounts of IgE, with similar accuracy, may give it a potential advantage for MBB analysis in the future.
