title: Otitis media with effusion in an allergic animal model: A functional and morphological study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Allergy is considered as one of important etiologic factor of otitis media with effusion (OME). In present study, we evaluated the causal effect of allergy on OME in an animal model, and investigated the secondary effect of bacterial infection.
  
  
  METHODS
  Allergy and control animals were subdivided into groups with and without intratympanic injection of lipopolysaccharide (IT-LPS). Allergic otitis media was induced via intraperitoneal ovo-albumin injection with intranasal challenge. We assessed the occurrence of OME in allergic animals and the effect of IT-LPS on allergic otitis media. We also investigated the Th1 and Th2 responses in the middle-ear mucosa. Hearing of the animals was measured by ABR and DPOAE.
  
  
  RESULTS
  OME was observed in 75% of the allergic animals. After IT-LPS, 100% of the control and allergy groups showed otitis media. Light microscopy revealed that the middle-ear mucosa of animals of both groups also was significantly increased after IT-LPS, and the Th1 response (IL-2 and IFN-γ) and Th2 response (IL-5 and IL-13) cytokines were expressed at higher levels in the allergy group with IT-LPS than in control group with IT-LPS. Hearing tests between the allergy and control group with IT-LPS did not reveal any differences.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings may be direct evidence of an allergic causal effect on OME. Th2 response cytokines were strongly expressed in allergic OME, and the inflammatory reaction to LPS was more intense in the allergic group, which indicates that otitis media related to allergy can be severely aggravated by an inflammatory reaction to bacterial infection.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Dong-Kee
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Hyu Eun
authors.initials: HE
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Sang-A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Back
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Hyang Rim
authors.initials: HR
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Soo Whan
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Yooyeon
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Sang Won
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Yeo
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Republic of Korea. Electronic address: snparkmd@catholic.ac.kr.
authors.forename: Shi-Nae
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: Park
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000378:metabolism; D016207:Cytokines / Q000378:metabolism; D006967:Hypersensitivity / Q000150:complications* / Q000276:immunology; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides / Q000008:administration & dosage; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D010034:Otitis Media with Effusion / Q000209:etiology* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D011550:Pseudomonas aeruginosa
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D016207:Cytokines; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides
keywords: Allergy; Immune response; Otitis media with effusion