Atrial Natriuretic Peptides in Patients with OME: Serous Otitis Media and Mucoid Otitis Media

Abstract

Objectives: Atrial natriuretic peptides (ANPs) are located within extracardiac tissues known to play an important role in the maintenance of fluid/electrolyte homeostasis. It is not known whether ANPs are expressed in middle ear effusions (MEEs) and whether ANP is correlated in development of serous or mucoid effusion (OME). In order to determine whether secretion of ANP is affected in chronic disease condition, we compared the ANP concentration in the mucoid effusions with that in the serous effusions. Methods: MEE concentrations of ANP were measured in 21 patients (12 mucoid, 9 serous) with OME. The patients underwent myringotomy and/or insertion of a ventilation tube for treatment of OME and collected MEEs. The samples were divided into serous or mucoid types based on observation by the naked eye. ANP immunoreactive cells and ANP levels were measured in the tissues and effusions of the patients with OME, using IHC and radioimmunoassay. Results: In human MEE samples, ANP levels showed a significant increase with the mucoid effusions when compared with the serous effusions and control plasma. ANP concentration was increased in mucoid effusion but was decreased in patients with serous effusion and in control plasma. ANP-immunoreactive (ANP-IR) cells are showed in the tall columnar cells of the middle ear mucosa. Conclusions: Our results suggest that a high concentration of ANP in mucoid secretions promotes chronicity of mucoid otitis media and hypothesize that ANP may also play a role in the pathogenesis of OME through changes in the transport of water and ions across the middle ear epithelium.