title: Epithelium and stroma from nasal polyp mucosa exhibits inverse expression of TGF-β1 as compared with healthy nasal mucosa.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate TGF-β1 expression in polypoid mucosa (epithelium and stroma) of patients with chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyposis (CRSwNP).
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional study with two groups: 17 patients with nasal polyposis and 11 controls. Polyps and normal nasal mucosa were processed by immunohistochemical methods for TGF-β1 visualization. Then, the percentage of TGF-β1 expression in stroma and epithelium was objectively quantified using UT Morph software.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A lower percentage of positive expression was found in the epithelium of CRSwNP patients (32.44%) versus normal controls (55.91%) (p < 0.05), and a higher percentage of positive expression in the stroma of CRSwNP patients (23.24%) versus controls (5.88%) (p < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The lower percentage of TGF-β1 expression in the nasal epithelium of CRSwNP patients may have an impact on epithelium-directed topical treatments employed in this patient population.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery of Federal University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil. leo_balsalobre@uol.com.br.
authors.forename: Leonardo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Balsalobre
authors.forename: Rogério
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Pezato
authors.forename: Claudina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Perez-Novo
authors.forename: Maria Teresa S
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Alves
authors.forename: Rodrigo P
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Santos
authors.forename: Claus
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bachert
authors.forename: Luc L M
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Weckx
mesh_terms: D002908:Chronic Disease; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004848:Epithelium / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D009297:Nasal Mucosa / Q000378:metabolism*; D009298:Nasal Polyps / Q000378:metabolism; D012220:Rhinitis / Q000378:metabolism*; D012852:Sinusitis / Q000378:metabolism*; D017154:Stromal Cells / Q000378:metabolism; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta