Expression of RANTES by IL-1 β and TNF-α stimulated nasal polyp fibroblasts

(1) Objective: Accumulation of eosinophils (Eo) is one of the most characteristic feature of nasal polyps. However, the question remains why eosinophils accumulate into the nasal polyp tissue. RANTES (regulated upon activation, normal T cell expressed and presumably secreted) is a recently described chemokine that is said to play a role in the recruitment of eosinophils into inflammatory tissue sites. Fibroblasts are a rich source of cytokines and inflammatory mediators. The objective of this study was to demonstrated the expression of the chemokine RANTES in nasal polyp fibroblasts after stimulation with proinflammatory cytokines like TNF-α and IL-1 β. (2) Methods: Fibroblast lines were established from human nasal polyp biopsy tissues taken from patients with chronic sinusitis who had no other associated diseases. Cultured nasal polyp fibroblasts were stimulated with TNF-α or IL-1 β at various doses (0.1, 1.0, 1 ng/ml) or for various times (l, 6, 12, 24, 48, 72 h). To detect the RANTES gene expression, RT-PCR was performed. The resulting supernatants were assayed with ELISA for the level of RANTES. (3) Results: We demonstrated that TNF-α and IL-1 β induced the gene expression and protein production of RANTES in nasal polyp fibroblasts. This responsiveness to TNF-α and IL-1 β was time and dose-dependent. (4) Conclusion: These findings suggest that nasal polypfibroblasts may also play an important role in the recruitment of Eo through the production of RANTES