The effects of sensitization and hypersensitivity reaction on transepithelial antigen transport of rat nasal mucosa.
METHODS
The prevalence of airway allergy is very high. The ways that antigen passes across the airway tract epithelial barrier are not well understood. This study uses a model antigen, horseradish peroxidase (HRP), to sensitize and challenge the respiratory tract in the rat model.


RESULTS
The results showed increases in HRP endosomes in nasal epithelial cells 5 minutes after HRP challenge in the sensitized rats compared with controls, which were further increased 30 minutes after HRP challenge, as well as with the paracellular region filled with HRP products. Meanwhile, mast cells were activated as shown by degranulation. Analysis of cell type showed that there were many more HRP endosomes in the nonciliated cells and there were many more nonciliated cells in the nasal mucosa of the sensitized rats.


CONCLUSIONS
The results demonstrate that sensitization promotes airway mucosal epithelial cells' uptake and transport of specific antigen and that mast cells may play certain roles in this process.
Yang
P C
PC
Department of Otolaryngology, the First Affiliated Hospital, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, Shanxi, China. yangp@fhs.mcmaster.ca
Zeng
H Y
HY
Zhang
T Y
TY
Zheng
Y Q
YQ
Chen
J Z
JZ
D000818:Animals; D000941:Antigens / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D001692:Biological Transport; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology*; D006735:Horseradish Peroxidase / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006967:Hypersensitivity / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000276:immunology*; D007114:Immunization; D008297:Male; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D009297:Nasal Mucosa / Q000276:immunology*; D011336:Probability; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012016:Reference Values; D015854:Up-Regulation
D000941:Antigens; D006735:Horseradish Peroxidase