title: Immunohistological study of wound healing after submucosal radiofrequency tissue ablation of inferior nasal turbinate in a sheep model.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Data on the molecular processes involved in nasal mucosa wound healing after radiofrequency tissue ablation (RTA) of the inferior nasal turbinate (INT) are missing. This study was designed to examine tissue expression of fibronectin, collagen III, CD68, and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) 9 in the INT (ventral) after RTA in sheep.
  
  
  METHODS
  An experimental randomized controlled study was performed. Seventeen INTs (ventral) of nine sheep were used. RTA was applied in 12 INTs. Turbinate samples were studied 1, 3, and 8 weeks postoperatively (4 samples/time point) and in five control INTs (without surgery). Besides hematoxylin and eosin staining, immunostaining was done for MMP-9, collagen III, fibronectin, and CD68. A quantitative grading ranging between 0 (no immunoreactivity at all) and 100% (profuse immunoreactivity) was performed by a blinded senior pathologist. Comparisons between groups were performed using Mann-Whitney U test and Kruskal-Wallis one-way ANOVA. Spearman's rho correlation coefficients were calculated between histological and/or immunohistological variables.
  
  
  RESULTS
  At week 8, fibronectin (p = 0.025), collagen III (p = 0.004), and MMP-9 (p < 0.001) immunoreactivity was significantly higher than controls, while immunoreactivity for CD68 was higher, although not significantly (p = 0.114) compared with controls. Strong correlations have been found between mucosal vascularization and interstitial space volume (r = 0.776), interstitial space volume and epithelial cell necrosis (r = 0.730), and CD68 immunostaining and epithelial cell necrosis (r = 0.784).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Given their high tissue concentrations after RTA application, fibronectin, collagen III, CD68, and MMP-9 deserve further study as candidate modulators of the INT wound-healing process.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, School of Medicine, Democritus University of Thrace, Alexandroupolis, Greece.
authors.forename: Haralampos
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Gouveris
authors.forename: Christina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Nousia
authors.forename: Alexandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Giatromanolaki
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Riga
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Katotomichelakis
authors.forename: Jannis
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Papathanasiou
authors.forename: Jean-Baptiste
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Watelet
authors.forename: Vasilios
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Danielides
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015703:Antigens, CD / Q000378:metabolism; D015214:Antigens, Differentiation, Myelomonocytic / Q000378:metabolism; D017115:Catheter Ablation; D024061:Collagen Type III / Q000378:metabolism; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000473:pathology; D005353:Fibronectins / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry / Q000379:methods; D020780:Matrix Metalloproteinase 9 / Q000378:metabolism; D023421:Models, Animal; D009297:Nasal Mucosa / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D009336:Necrosis; D012756:Sheep; D014420:Turbinates / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D014945:Wound Healing; D000097382:CD68 Molecule
chemical_list: D015703:Antigens, CD; D015214:Antigens, Differentiation, Myelomonocytic; D024061:Collagen Type III; D005353:Fibronectins; D020780:Matrix Metalloproteinase 9; C067980:CD68 antigen, human; D000097382:CD68 Molecule