Surfactant protein a expression in chronic rhinosinusitis and atrophic rhinitis.

Introduction  Surfactant protein A (SP-A) exhibits antimicrobial properties and interacts with a variety of respiratory tract pathogens. Objective  The objective of this study was to detect the presence of SP-A and measure its alterations in chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) and primary atrophic rhinitis (PAR) versus healthy controls. Methods  Inferior turbinate and sinus mucosal biopsies were taken from 30 patients with CRS, 30 patients with PAR, and 20 healthy controls. Immunohistochemical staining for SP-A and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification of SP-A messenger RNA were performed on nasal tissue samples. Results  Immunostaining localized SP-A to the mucosa and submucosal glands in CRS specimens but failed to localize it in PAR specimens. Quantitative PCR showed a high, statistically significant increase in the SP-A levels of patients with CRS when compared with controls ( p p Conclusion  SP-A is significantly increased in CRS and decreased significantly in PAR and appears to be expressed by respiratory epithelial cells and submucosal glandular elements of the sinonasal mucosa. The potential therapeutic applications of surfactant in the enhancement of mucociliary clearance need to be studied.