Immune modulatory oligonucleotides in the prevention and treatment of OVA-induced eustachian tube dysfunction in rats.
BACKGROUND
Otitis media with effusion (OME) is often associated with allergies. Immune modulatory oligonucleotides (IMO) mediate allergic inflammation and may therefore be efficacious in the treatment of airway inflammation.


OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the role of an IMO via transtympanic mucosal application in prevention and treatment of ovalbumin-induced OME.


METHODS
Forty brown Norway rats were divided into control and treatment groups. Eustachian tube dysfunction was evaluated by passive opening pressures, passive closing pressures, active clearance of negative pressure, and mucociliary clearance transit time.


RESULTS
Rats who underwent IMO treatment required 50% less pressure to open and close the eustachian tube (P < 0.05) and were able to actively clear 50% more negative pressure than the ovalbumin-control rats (P < 0.001). The treatment rats' mucociliary clearance time was half that of the control group (P < 0.001).


CONCLUSIONS
IMO via transtympanic application can prevent and treat allergy-induced eustachian tube dysfunction in rats. IMO may offer substantial promise in the future management of OME.
Department of Otolaryngology--Head and Neck Surgery, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA. dblanks@med.unc.edu
Deidra A
DA
Blanks
Charles S
CS
Ebert
Rose P
RP
Eapen
Carlton
C
Zdanski
Ekambar R
ER
Kandimalla
Sudhir
S
Agrawal
Jiri
J
Prazma
D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005064:Eustachian Tube / Q000276:immunology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D007155:Immunologic Factors / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008297:Male; D009841:Oligonucleotides / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010034:Otitis Media with Effusion / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000276:immunology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D010047:Ovalbumin / Q000494:pharmacology; D051381:Rats; D011914:Rats, Inbred BN; D014432:Tympanic Membrane / Q000503:physiopathology
D007155:Immunologic Factors; D009841:Oligonucleotides; D010047:Ovalbumin