Objective. The aim of the study was to evaluate vimentin expression in inflamed nasal mucosa of patients with chronic rhinosinusitis without nasal polyps (CRSsNP) and serum levels of matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9).
Material and Methods. We measured concentrations of MMP-9 in blood serum of twenty patients with CRSsNP using ELISA and compared them with the control group composed of twenty healthy subjects. Vimentin expression in nasal mucosa was studied by an immunohistochemical method.
Results. Blood serum levels of MMP-9 were found to be elevated in patients with CRSsNP. The disease was also associated with the upregulation of vimentin expression both in the lamina propria and nasal epithelial layer.
Conclusion. CRSsNP is accompanied by a higher number of vimentin-expressing cells in the nasal epithelium, which may indicate their epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT). We speculate that MMP-9 may contribute to the increased rate of EMT of nasal epithelial cells in CRSsNP.
