title: Tryptase in nasal fluid is a useful marker of allergic rhinitis.
abstract: Tryptase is a mast cell-specific marker of degranulation. To investigate the possible diagnostic value of tryptase in allergic rhinitis, we measured the levels in both serum and native nasal fluid with a sandwich RIA-assay (Pharmacia). Twenty-three allergic patients and five patients with chronic ethmoidal sinusitis were included. Eighteen of the 23 allergic patients were tested within the pollen season or had perennial rhinitis; the remainder were tested at least 1 month out of the pollen season. None of the patients had detectable serum tryptase (> 0.1 ng/ml). Also patients with chronic ethmoidal sinusitis showed no tryptase in nasal fluid. One of seven allergic patients tested out of season had slightly increased nasal tryptase of 1.8 ng/ml. In patients with active nasal allergy, the tryptase in nasal fluid ranged from 6.4 ng/ml to 640 ng/ml with a mean of 101 ng/ml and SD 173. These results show a clear distinction between active and non-active nasal allergy and other non-mast-cell-related nasal disease. Further, nasal tryptase release by natural allergen exposure is even higher than that observed in allergen challenge tests.
authors.affiliation: ENT Research Laboratory, Ludwig-Maximilians, University of Munich, Germany.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Rasp
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hochstrasser
mesh_terms: D015415:Biomarkers; D053818:Chymases; D006801:Humans; D009297:Nasal Mucosa / Q000201:enzymology*; D012221:Rhinitis, Allergic, Perennial / Q000201:enzymology*; D006255:Rhinitis, Allergic, Seasonal / Q000201:enzymology*; D012697:Serine Endopeptidases / Q000032:analysis*; D053802:Tryptases
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D012697:Serine Endopeptidases; C083294:chymase 2; D053818:Chymases; D053802:Tryptases