Objective: To determine the TGF-? concentration in plasma and platelets in patients with allergic rhinitis or rhinosinusitis.
Methods: The study group included 36 adult females, 6 with clinical and laboratory diagnoses of allergic rhinitis, 18 with allergic rhinitis and sinusitis (rhino-sinusitis) and 12 clinically healthy controls. The samples were obtained from venous blood. TGF-? was measured in plasma and in the supernatant fluid of platelets by a solid phase Enzymo-immun assay, and IL-11 was quantified using a commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kit.
Results: In both patient groups platelet numbers (106/mL) were greater than in controls. Plasma concentration (pg/ml) of TGF-? in the allergic rhinitis group (276 ± 16) was lower than in control group (932 ± 99) (p <0.005), whereas in patients with rhino-sinusitis was higher (2606 ± 612) (p <0.005). In both patients groups, the intra-platelet TGF-? concentration was smaller than in control, but only significant (p <0.005), in allergic rhinitis patients. However, in all groups, an inverse correlation (p <0.0001) was found between the platelet number and intraplatelet TGF-? levels.
Conclusions: The inverse correlation between intra-platelet TGF-? and circulating platelets number found in all individuals studied suggests that platelets do not alter the regulating mechanism of TGF-? production in allergy or infection.