Expression of fractalkine and its receptor on adenoid and tonsil tissue

Chronic tonsillitis is characterized by recurrent and persistent infections of palatine tonsils. Tonsillar hypertrophy is a process characterized by the palatine tonsil hypertrophy which is not always accompanied by the infective process. These two diseases are developed by different pathophysiological mechanisms at the same tissue. Fractalkine, member of chemokine family, is involved in many inflammatory processes in human body. The aim of this study is to compare expression level of fractalkine ligand and its receptor in adenoid, chronic tonsillitis and hypertrophic tonsil samples. The study was conducted at Başkent University Departments of Otorhinolaryngology and Medical Genetics. It is designed as a prospective, non-randomized, controlled clinical study. Local ethics committee approved the study, and informed consents were obtained from all of the participiants and their family. Total 97 samples obtained from adenoidectomy and tonsillectomy due to chronic tonsillitis or tonsillar hypertrophy were participated in the study. The groups were formed in approximately equal numbers. RNA which were obtained from the tissues were transformed to complementer DNA (cDNA). Fractalkine and its receptor expression levels were determined via Real Time Polimerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) technique and comparison was made between the tissue groups. DNA was isolated from the tissues and reproduced via PCR. c.839C>T (T280M) polymorphizm of fractalkin receptor were investigated with Restriction Fragment Length Polymorfhism (RFLP) technique. Then relationship between polymorphizm and the expression level of fractalkine receptor was investigated. There were 56 boys' and 41 girls' tissue participated in the study. The average age was 5.94±2.95. There were not significant differences for fractalkine ligand expression between hypertrophic tonsils and chronic tonsillitis groups. Fractalkine receptor expression were significantly higher in the hypertrophic tonsil group (p<0.05). Fractalkine reseptor expression of hypertrophic tonsil group were significantly higher compared to adenoid group (p<0.05). Consequently, fractalkine reseptor expression was found significantly higher in hypertrophic tonsil group compared to chronic tonsillitis and adenoid groups. These findings may conduce to explain the molecular mechanisms of pathophysiological process in tonsil and adenoid diseases and may shed light on new studies.