Overexpression of glucocorticoid receptor-beta in severe allergic rhinitis.
OBJECTIVE
To clarify the role of glucocorticoid receptor-beta in resistance to glucocorticoid therapy for allergic rhinitis, we studied 37 tissue samples from 20 patients with severe allergic rhinitis, and samples from age-matched controls.


METHODS
Patients were treated with intranasal fluticasone for 6 months and inferior turbinectomy was performed for patients with poor response to glucocorticoid treatment. The expression of glucocorticoid receptor-alpha (GR-alpha), glucocorticoid receptor-beta (GR-beta), and nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) in nasal mucosa was studied immunohistochemically.


RESULTS
GR-alpha and NF-kappaB were expressed to a similar extent in patients and controls, but GR-beta was expressed significantly more in patients, resulting in an increased GR-beta/GR-alpha ratio.


CONCLUSIONS
Our findings suggest that GR-beta plays an important role in resistance to glucocorticoid therapy for allergic rhinitis, and its expression might be used as an additional parameter indicating steroid resistance in allergic rhinitis.
Ishida
Akihiro
A
Department of Otolaryngology, Yamagata University School of Medicine, 2-2-2 Iida-nishi, Yamagata, Yamagata 990-9585, Japan.
Ohta
Nobuo
N
Koike
Shuji
S
Aoyagi
Masaru
M
Yamakawa
Mitsunori
M
D000281:Administration, Intranasal; D000328:Adult; D000730:Androstadienes / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004351:Drug Resistance; D005260:Female; D000068298:Fluticasone; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D016328:NF-kappa B / Q000032:analysis* / Q000187:drug effects; D009297:Nasal Mucosa / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D011965:Receptors, Glucocorticoid / Q000032:analysis* / Q000187:drug effects; D012016:Reference Values; D012221:Rhinitis, Allergic, Perennial / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology*; D055815:Young Adult
D000730:Androstadienes; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents; D016328:NF-kappa B; D011965:Receptors, Glucocorticoid; C411470:glucocorticoid receptor alpha; C121943:glucocorticoid receptor beta; D000068298:Fluticasone