Abstract
Objective—To establish the eventual presence of human β-defensins (hBD) in middle ear cholesteatoma and paired retroauricular skin samples obtained during surgical treatment.Material and Methods—hBD were detected using immunohistochemical techniques and reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).Results—It is hypothesized that hBD-1 and -2 are upregulated in cholesteatoma in comparison with retroauricular skin. The immunohistochemical study demonstrated stronger hBD-2-positive staining in middle ear cholesteatoma in comparison with retroauricular skin. No significant differences in hBD-1 expression were detected between cholesteatoma and skin samples. RT-PCR established elevated expression of hBD-2 mRNA in middle ear cholesteatomas. HBD-1 mRNA was constitutively expressed in cholesteatoma and retroauricular skin specimens.Conclusion—These preliminary experimental results lead us to believe that hBD may play an important role in the chronic inflammatory state of middle ear cholesteatoma.
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