The expression of HMGB1 in nasal mucosa of allergic rhinitis patients and its significance.

Objective:To investigate the expression of HMGB1 in the nasal mucosa of allergic rhinitis patients and its significance.Methods:Immunohistochemistry and RT-PCR methods were used to measure the expression of HMGB1 protein and mRNA in inferior turbinate mucosa from 12 allergic rhinitis patients and 11 control patients respectively.Results:The relative expression level of HMGB1 mRNA in nasal mucosa was significantly increased in allergic rhinitis patients compared with that of normal controls (P0.01).Immunohistochemical staining demonstrated that HMGB1 protein was mainly expressed in lamina propria and HMGB1 positivity was barely seen in normal controls.Correlation analysis showed that the mRNA and protein expressing level of HMGB1 was significantly positively correlated with the number of mature dendritic cells (r=0.695 and 0.578,both P0.01) and the HMGB1 protein expression level was significantly negatively correlated with the number of eosinophils (r=-0.547,P0.01).Conclusion:HMGB1 may be involved in the development of allergic rhinitis through dendritic cells and eosinophils.