The following is a summary of “IL-13–associated epithelial remodeling correlates with clinical severity in nasal polyposis,” published in the MAY 2023 issue of Allergy & Immunology by Kotas, et al.

Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is characterized by epithelial remodeling, a histopathologic feature of chronic inflammatory airway diseases. However, the relationship between epithelial cell remodeling, inflammatory endotypes, and disease outcomes in CRS still needs to be fully understood. For a study, researchers sought to investigate the relationship between epithelial cell remodeling, inflammatory endotypes, and disease outcomes in CRS.

They analyzed bulk RNA-sequencing data obtained from sinus epithelial brushings of patients with CRS, both with and without nasal polyps, and compared them to healthy controls. Cell-type transcriptional signatures derived from epithelial single-cell sequencing were used for analysis.

In patients with nasal polyposis, the airway epithelium exhibited increased tuft cell transcripts, decreased ciliated cell transcripts, and an IL-13 activation signature. On the other hand, CRS patients without polyps showed an IL-17 activation signature. Increased tuft cell, goblet cell, and mast cell scores and decreased ciliated cell scores were associated with IL-13 activation scores. Additionally, the IL-13 score was strongly correlated with an activated tuft cell score and a prostaglandin E2 activation signature, which had been previously reported. The Lund-Mackay score, a computed tomographic metric for sinus opacification, showed positive correlations with activated tuft cell, mast cell, prostaglandin E2, and IL-13 signatures, while negative correlations with ciliated cell transcriptional signatures.

The study indicated IL-13-induced epithelial remodeling in nasal polyposis involves cell-type alterations and prostaglandin E2 stimulation. In contrast, CRS without polyps was characterized by a more prominent IL-17 signaling. The severity of clinical symptoms correlated with the extent of IL-13-driven epithelial remodeling. The results provided insights into the role of epithelial remodeling and its association with inflammatory endotypes and disease outcomes in CRS.

Source: jacionline.org/article/S0091-6749(23)00141-0/fulltext