Expression of aquaporins mRNAs in patients with otitis media

Abstract

Objective: This study analyzed the associations between measured levels of aquaporin (AQP) mRNAs and clinical manifestations in patients with various types of otitis media (OM).

Methods: AQP1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, and 10 mRNA levels were assayed by real-time PCR from 57 patients with chronic otitis media (COM), 24 patients with cholesteatomatous otitis media (choleOM), and 82 patients with otitis media with effusion (OME). The relationships of these mRNA levels with the presence of bacteria, the type of hearing loss, and clinical manifestations of OM types were evaluated.

Results: All eight AQP mRNAs were expressed in inflammatory tissue, chole matrix, and effusion fluid obtained from all 163 patients with OM. The levels in OME of AQP2, 4, 6, and 10 mRNA; and the levels in choleOM of AQP1, 3, 4, and 10 mRNA were elevated significantly compared to the corresponding levels in COM (p < .05). The expression level of AQP8 mRNA did not differ among OM types. Among samples positive for bacterial culture, AQP1 mRNA was significantly higher in OME than in COM and choleOM, AQP5 mRNA was significantly lower in OME than in COM and choleOM, and AQP10 mRNA was significantly higher in OME and choleOM than in COM (p < .05).

Conclusions: The levels of expression of AQP mRNA are associated with the pathophysiology of OM.

Chinese abstract

目的：本研究分析了不同类型中耳炎（OM）患者的水通道蛋白（AQP）所测水平mRNA与临床表现之间的关系。

方法：采用实时荧光定量PCR方法检测了57例慢性化脓性中耳炎（COM）患者、24例胆脂瘤性中耳炎患者（choleOM）和82例渗出性中耳炎患者（OME）的AQP1、2、3、4、5、6、8和10 mRNA水平。评估了这些mRNA水平与细菌的存在、听力损失的类型以及OM类型的临床表现之间的关系。

结果：所有8种AQP mRNA均在163例OM患者的炎性组织、胆管基质和积液中有所表达。 OME中的AQP2、4、6和10 mRNA的水平; choleOM中的AQP1、3、4和10 mRNA水平与COM中的相应水平相比显著升高（p < 0.05）。 AQP8 mRNA的表达水平在OM类型中没有差异。在细菌培养呈阳性的样品中, OME中的AQP1 mRNA显著高于COM和choleOM, OME中的AQP5 mRNA显著低于COM和choleOM, 而OQ和choleOM中的AQP10 mRNA显著高于COM（p < 0.05）。

结论：AQP mRNA表达水平与OM的病理生理学有关。

Keywords:

• Aquaporin
• otitis media
• middle ear
• otitis media with effusion
• chronic suppurative otitis media
• cholesteatoma

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) grant funded by the Korea Government (MSIP) [no. 2011-0030072].