title: Further evidence for the role of fibrosis in the pathobiology of rhinophyma.
abstract: Recent evidence suggests that fibrosis may play an important role in the pathobiology of rhinophyma. The fibrogenic cytokine transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta2 has been reported to be up-regulated in rhinophyma tissue. Of the three common isoforms of TGF-beta, TGF-beta1 and TGF-beta2 are considered fibrogenic, whereas TGF-beta3 has antiscarring properties. To provide further evidence for the role of fibrosis in the pathobiology of rhinophyma, specimens from 8 patients with rhinophyma were compared with nine specimens of normal nasal skin. Immunohistochemistry was used to compare intensity levels of TGFbeta1 and TGFbeta3 proteins, and quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction was used to determine messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) expression levels of TGFbeta1 and TGFbeta3. TGF-beta1 was elevated significantly in rhinophyma tissue (p < 0.001), whereas TGF-beta3 was no different in the rhinophyma specimens compared with normal nasal skin (p = 0.06). TGFbeta1 mRNA expression was five-fold higher in rhinophyma tissue compared with normal skin (p < 0.001). The mRNA expression of TGF-beta3 was the same for both pathological and normal tissue (p < 0.09). These data, together with previously published observations, present further evidence that fibrosis mediated by the fibrogenic cytokines TGFbeta1 and TGFbeta2 play a role in the pathobiology of rhinophyma and suggest a means of treatment by neutralizing or down-regulating these cytokines.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Tissue Regeneration, Repair, and Rehabilitation, Bay Pines VA Medical Center, 10000 Bay Pines Boulevard, Bay Pines, FL 33744, USA.
authors.forename: Wyatt G
authors.initials: WG
authors.lastname: Payne
authors.forename: Xue
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Mbaga
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Walusimbi
authors.forename: Francis
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ko
authors.forename: Terry E
authors.initials: TE
authors.lastname: Wright
authors.forename: Martin C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Robson
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001483:Base Sequence; D005355:Fibrosis / Q000150:complications* / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D009297:Nasal Mucosa / Q000378:metabolism*; D009666:Nose / Q000166:cytology / Q000473:pathology; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012224:Rhinophyma / Q000209:etiology / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D012867:Skin / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta / Q000378:metabolism*; D053773:Transforming Growth Factor beta1; D053782:Transforming Growth Factor beta3
chemical_list: D012333:RNA, Messenger; C508960:TGFB1 protein, human; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta; D053773:Transforming Growth Factor beta1; D053782:Transforming Growth Factor beta3