Examination of the distribution of mast cells in the nasal mucosa of patients with seasonal allergic rhinitis

OBJECTIVE: It is known that mast cells play an important role in pathogenesis of allergic rhinitis. In this study, we investigated the distribution of mast cells in the nasal mucosa of patients with seasonal allergic rhinitis during the pollen-season.

METHODS: This study was carried out at the Faculty of Medicine, Dicle University, Turkey, during the grass-pollen season between, March and July in 2002. Twenty patients with seasonal allergic rhinitis (12 females and 8 males) and 20 healthy (10 females and 10 males) non-allergic controls were examined for the distribution and abundance of mast cells in nasal biopsies. Biopsies were performed in all patients and controls, once during natural provocation in the spring and were taken from the lower edge of the inferior turbinate using a forceps. The samples of nasal mucosa were fixed in 10% neutral buffered formaline, stained with 0.5% aqueous toluidine blue and hematoxylin and eosin were examined under a light microscope.

RESULTS: Mast cells were observed in the nasal mucosa obtained from 12 patients (60%) and 5 patients (25%) controls cases (p=0.025). It was found out that intrapitelial mast cells are present in nasal mucosa samples of patients with SAR (seasonal allergic rhinitis) but not in the epithelium of non-allergic controls.

CONCLUSION: The number of submucosal mast cells has considerably increased in the nasal mucosa samples of patients with SAR. Besides this, these cells are determined in great amounts in non-allergic individuals.