Chronic
rhinosinusitis with
nasal polyps (CRSwNP) is characterized by both a chronic
inflammation and tissue remodelling; as indicated by
extracellular matrix protein deposition, basement membrane thickening, goblet cell
hyperplasia and subepithelial
edema, with reduced vessels and glands. Although remodelling is generally considered to be consequence of persistent
inflammation, the chronological order and relationship between
inflammation and remodelling in
polyp development is still not clear. The aim of our study was therefore to investigate the pathological features prevalent in the development of
nasal polyps and to elucidate the chronological order and relationship between
inflammation and remodelling, by comparing specific markers of
inflammation and remodelling in early stage
nasal polyps confined to the middle turbinate (refer to as middle turbinate CRSwNP) obtained from 5 CRSwNP patients with bilateral polyposis, mature ethmoidal
polyps from 6 CRSwNP patients, and normal nasal mucosal tissue from 6 control subjects. Middle turbinate CRSwNP demonstrated significantly more severe epithelial loss compared to mature ethmoidal
polyps and normal nasal mucosa. The epithelial cell junction molecules
E-cadherin, ZO-1 and
occludin were also expressed in significantly lower amounts in mature ethmoidal
polyps compared to healthy mucosa. Middle turbinate CRSwNP were further characterized by significantly increased numbers of subepithelial eosinophils and M2 type macrophages, with a distinct lack of
collagen and deposition of
fibronectin in
polyp part. In contrast, the turbinate area of the middle turbinate CRSwNP was characterized by an increase in TGF-β activated myofibroblasts expressing α-SMA and
vimentin, an increase in the number of pSmad2 positive cells, as well as increased deposition of
collagen. These findings suggest a complex network of processes in the formation of CRSwNP; including gross epithelial damage and repair reactions, eosinophil and macrophage cell infiltration, and tissue remodelling. Furthermore, remodelling appears to occur in parallel, rather than subsequent to
inflammation.