title: Intercellular adhesion molecule 1 and tumor necrosis factor alpha in asthma and persistent allergic rhinitis: relationship with disease severity.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) is involved in the up-regulation of intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1). Allergic rhinitis is often associated with bronchial hyperresponsiveness.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  We investigated the relationship between allergic airway disease severity and serum concentrations of soluble ICAM-1 (sICAM-1) and TNF-alpha and nasal expression of ICAM-1.
  
  
  METHODS
  Serum concentrations of TNF-alpha and sICAM-1 were investigated in 85 adults with persistent rhinitis and 90 patients with asthma. Seventy patients with rhinitis were challenged with methacholine. Nasal biopsy for ICAM-1 expression was performed in 6 patients with moderate-severe rhinitis and in 6 patients with mild rhinitis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In patients with rhinitis, serum sICAM-1 concentrations were as follows: group without bronchial hyperresponsiveness (n = 29), 206.85 ng/mL; group with bronchial hyperresponsiveness but without asthma symptoms (n = 20), 233.39 ng/mL; and group with newly recognized asthma (n = 21), 260.06 ng/mL. The sICAM-1 level was significantly lower in patients with mild rhinitis (216.21 ng/mL) than in patients with moderate-severe rhinitis (244.08 ng/mL). Nasal ICAM-1 expression was significantly higher in the moderate-severe rhinitis group than in the mild rhinitis group. In patients with asthma, serum concentrations of sICAM-1 were as follows: patients with mild asthma, 272.8 ng/mL; patients with moderate asthma, 340.16 ng/mL; patients with severe asthma without oral corticosteroids therapy, 426.74 ng/mL; and patients with severe asthma with oral corticosteroids therapy, 314 ng/mL. The serum TNF-alphaa concentration differed between patients with rhinitis (n = 15) (1.065 pg/mL) and patients with asthma (n = 12) (3.46 pg/mL). Among patients with asthma, TNF-alpha concentrations were similar in all groups classified according to the disease severity.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  sICAM and ICAM-1 expression correlates with airways diseases severity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chest Diseases and Cancer, Medical University of Lodz, Poland.
authors.forename: Malgorzata
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gorska-Ciebiada
authors.forename: Maciej
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ciebiada
authors.forename: Magdalena M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Gorska
authors.forename: Pawel
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gorski
authors.forename: Iwona
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Grzelewska-Rzymowska
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001249:Asthma / Q000097:blood* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology; D015415:Biomarkers; D001808:Blood Vessels / Q000737:chemistry; D016535:Bronchial Hyperreactivity / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology; D001985:Bronchial Provocation Tests; D015897:Comorbidity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D018799:Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1 / Q000032:analysis / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D016210:Methacholine Chloride; D008875:Middle Aged; D009297:Nasal Mucosa / Q000098:blood supply / Q000737:chemistry / Q000473:pathology; D015995:Prevalence; D012221:Rhinitis, Allergic, Perennial / Q000097:blood* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D016210:Methacholine Chloride; D018799:Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1