Expression of hypoxia inducible factor-1α in chronic rhinosinusitis and the relationship with mucin secretion

Abstract

To investigate the expression of hypoxia inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) in chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) and relationship with mucin MUC5AC, MUC5B secretion. The expression of HIF-1α, MUC5AC and MUC5B were measured by immunohistochemistry (IHC), Western Blot and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) in CRS with or without nasal polyps (CRSwNP: twenty-three or CRSsNP:twenty) and fifteen normal sinus mucosa without CRS. The relationship between HIF-1α and MUC5AC,MUC5B were analyzed by SPSS 16.0 software. PAS and IHC showed that HIF-1α, MUC5AC, MUC5B, total mucins were expressed in nuclear of epithelium and gland cells, which were higher than normal control (t values in epithelium cells were 8.650, 9.305, 9.382, 8.524, 7.533, 5.417, 5.507, 5.556, all P < 0.05; t values in gland cells were 8.285, 7.098, 6.798, 7.308, 8.574, 7.933, 6.798, 7.308, all P < 0.05), but there was no significant difference between CRSwNP and CRSsNP (t values in epithelium cells were 0.734, 0.415, 0.572, 0.248, all P > 0.05; t values in gland cells were 0.331, 0.662, 0.249, 0.644, P > 0.05).Western Blot revealed that HIF-1α protein in CRSwNP and CRSsNP were higher than in normal contral (t values were 3.522, 3.314, respectively, P < 0.05). The relative expression levels of HIF-1α, MUC5AC,MUC5B mRNA in CRSwNP and CRSsNP were 1.35 ± 0.84, 1.36 ± 0.94, 0.81 ± 0.54,0.78 ± 0.46, 1.13 ± 1.00, 1.22 ± 1.02. But the relative expression levels of HIF-1α, MUC5AC,MUC5B mRNA in control subjects were 0.43 ± 0.34, 0.42 ± 0.36, 0.48 ± 0.42. There were significant differences between the groups of CRSwNP and control subiects (t values were 4.087, 4.089, 2.519, 2.550, 2.738, 2.955, respectively, all P < 0.05). There was a positive correlation among the expression of HIF-1α and MUC5AC, 5B mRNA in CRSwNP (r values were 0.474,0.464, respectively, all P < 0.05). There was a positive correlation among the expression of HIF-1α and MUC5AC, 5B mRNA in CRSsNP (r values were 0.477,0.514, respectively, all P < 0.05). HIF-1α, MUC5AC and MUC5B expression were upregulated in CRS with or without nasal polyps, indicating CRS is a disease of mucus hypersecretion and there is a close association between HIF-1α with hypersecretion of MUC5AC and MUC5B in mucus.