vasoactive-intestinal-peptide and Rhinitis--Allergic--Seasonal

To discuss current evidence of global climate change and its implications for allergic rhinitis and other allergic respiratory diseases.. Global climate change is evidenced by increasing average earth temperature, increasing anthropogenic greenhouse gas levels, and elevated pollen levels. Pollutants of interest include carbon dioxide (CO2), ozone (O3), and nitrous oxide (NO2) because they can enhance the allergic response and lead to increased symptoms of allergic respiratory diseases. Heightened CO2 levels stimulate pollen production via photosynthesis and increased growth in multiple plant species investigated. Although worsened air quality appears to increase prevalence of allergic rhinitis, the effects of increased temperature are less certain. The findings of increased aeroallergen levels likely contribute to increases in presentation of allergic diseases, although more healthcare impact studies are necessary.. Although recent literature indicates and strongly supports changes in temperature, pollution levels, and aeroallergen levels, more longitudinal epidemiologic surveillance of allergic diseases in relation to climate change as well as pathophysiologic studies on changing aeroallergen effects on allergic diseases are needed.

Topics: Air Pollutants; Climate Change; Humans; Inflammation Mediators; Nasal Mucosa; Nerve Fibers; Nerve Growth Factor; Neuropeptides; Population Surveillance; Respiratory Hypersensitivity; Rhinitis, Allergic, Perennial; Rhinitis, Allergic, Seasonal; Secretory Rate; Sensory Receptor Cells; Substance P; TRPV Cation Channels; Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide

There is suggestive evidence that neuropeptides participate in allergic reactions. Substance P (SP) and calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) are released by sensory nerves, whereas vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) is released mainly by parasympathetic nerves. Both sets of nerves are thought to be stimulated by allergic inflammation. The aim of this study was to assess nasal secretions to determine whether SP, CGRP, and VIP were increased after allergen challenge.. Eight patients with allergic rhinitis were challenged nasally with 1 mg histamine or increasing doses of allergen. Nasal lavages were collected into a cocktail of protease inhibitors in order to restrict neuropeptide degradation. Radioimmunoassay for SP, CGRP, and VIP were performed on each sample.. All patients had immediate clinical reactions to both histamine and allergen challenges, and seven patients experienced a later allergic reaction. After histamine challenge, SP and CGRP did not increase significantly above baseline in the nasal lavages, whereas VIP did (p < 0.02). In contrast, SP, CGRP, and VIP all significantly increased immediately after allergen challenge and returned to baseline within 2 hours. At the clinical peak of the late allergic reaction, SP, but not CGRP or VIP, was increased slightly but significantly (p < 0.01).. Thus SP, CGRP, and VIP are found in nasal secretions after allergen challenge, which confirms that neuropeptides are released in human beings during allergic reactions. The selective stimulation of VIP secretion by histamine challenge suggests that histamine-induced cholinergic reflexes induce the release of VIP. These data support the suggestion that neuropeptides may be partly responsible for some of the nasal symptoms of allergy.

Topics: Adult; Allergens; Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; Chromatography, Thin Layer; Dose-Response Relationship, Immunologic; Female; Histamine; Humans; Male; Nasal Mucosa; Nasal Provocation Tests; Radioimmunoassay; Rhinitis, Allergic, Seasonal; Substance P; Therapeutic Irrigation; Time Factors; Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide

The aim of this study was to investigate expression of the neuropeptides substance P, vasoactive intestinal peptide and heat shock protein 70 in the nasal mucosa cells of patients with seasonal allergic rhinitis, in order to obtain more information on the pathophysiological and immunological role of these markers in allergic rhinitis.. Nasal epithelium specimens obtained from 42 patients with allergic rhinitis were studied, using Shandon's Papspin liquid-based cytology method. Smears were immunostained with antibodies against substance P, vasoactive intestinal peptide and heat shock protein 70, and the results were correlated with the clinical features of seasonal allergic rhinitis.. A positive reaction for substance P, vasoactive intestinal peptide and heat shock protein 70 was observed in 73.8, 66.7 and 69.0 per cent of the allergic rhinitis mucosal smears, respectively. The Pearson chi-square test showed that 40.5 per cent of the immunostained smears had a positive reaction for one or two of the markers studied (i.e. substance P, vasoactive intestinal peptide or heat shock protein 70), and that 47.6 per cent of the smears had a positive reaction for all the markers (p < 0.0001).. We found a high level of expression of substance P and vasoactive intestinal peptide in the nasal mucosa smears of patients suffering from allergic rhinitis. This indicates a role for these neuropeptides in the neuroregulation of immunity and hypersensivity in this disease. Furthermore, expression of heat shock protein 70 may contribute to the development of allergic rhinitis.

Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Dose-Response Relationship, Immunologic; Female; HSP70 Heat-Shock Proteins; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Nasal Mucosa; Nasal Provocation Tests; Rhinitis, Allergic, Seasonal; Substance P; Treatment Outcome; Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide

The aim of this study was to determine whether intranasal administration of botulinum toxin type A (BTX-A) could relieve the typical symptoms of allergic rhinitis (AR) and alter substance P (SP)- and vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP)-immunoreactive (IR) expression in nasal mucosa of AR animals sensitized with ovalbumin (OVA).. AR was induced by intraperitoneal injection of OVA followed by its repeated intranasal instillation in female Wistar rats. Some AR animals were intranasally treated with a cotton strip containing BTX-A (10 U per nostril) for 1 h. After BTX-A treatment, OVA was repeatedly instilled in AR and AR + BTX-A groups every 2 days for 10 days. Subsequently, nasal symptoms were evaluated, and nasal secretions collected. Finally, the nasal mucosae of all animals were prepared for histological and immunohistochemical assessment.. BTX-A administration alleviated typical AR symptoms including rhinorrhea, nasal itching and sneezing, and subsequent intranasal repeated challenge with OVA did not trigger AR symptoms. After BTX-A treatment, inflammatory histological characteristics within the nasal mucosa of AR animals were absent, but atrophy of serous glands was observed. BTX-A decreased dense SP-IR and VIP-IR cells and fibers within and beneath the epithelium, around blood vessels and close to serous glands in AR animals.. Local BTX-A treatment is an effective method to reduce AR symptoms. BTX-A decreased the excessive SP-IR and VIP-IR expression induced by OVA. Therefore, BTX-A may affect the nasal mucosa via the suppression of neuropeptides, playing a major role in autonomous mucosal innervation in the pathophysiology of AR.

Topics: Administration, Intranasal; Allergens; Animals; Botulinum Toxins, Type A; Female; Immunohistochemistry; Nasal Mucosa; Ovalbumin; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Rhinitis, Allergic, Seasonal; Substance P; Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide

Allergic rhinitis (AR) is the most common allergic disease affecting the respiratory tract. Next to inflammatory changes, the airway innervation plays an important modulatory role in the pathogenesis of the disease.. To examine the participation of different neuropeptides in the human nasal mucosa of intermittent (seasonal) AR tissues in the allergic season.. Immunohistochemistry for substance P (SP), calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) and neuropeptide tyrosine (NPY) was related to the characterization of inflammatory cells in tissues of patients with seasonal AR (n=18).. While there was a significant increase in the number of eosinophils present if compared with a control group, no changes occurred in mast cell numbers. Immunostaining was abundantly found in different nerve fibre populations of both groups. SP expression was significantly increased in mucosal nerve fibres of patients with intermittent (seasonal) AR. Also, significantly increased numbers of VIP- and NPY-immunoreactive nerve fibres were found in biopsies of rhinitis patients in comparison with sections of normal human nasal mucosa. In contrast, CGRP expression did not change significantly.. The increase of neuropeptide expression in mucosal nerve fibres indicates a major role of the autonomous mucosal innervation in the pathophysiology of intermittent (seasonal) AR.

Topics: Biopsy; Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide; Case-Control Studies; Eosinophils; Humans; Immunohistochemistry; Mast Cells; Nasal Mucosa; Nerve Fibers; Neuropeptide Y; Neuropeptides; Rhinitis, Allergic, Seasonal; Substance P; Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide

Hyperreflectoric rhinitis is related to an unspecific hyperreactivity probably caused by chemical irritants. As a major modulatory role may be attributed to the mucosal innervation, the present study was carried out to examine possible changes in the nasal mucosa innervation. Immunohistochemistry for the neuropeptides vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP), calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), substance P (SP) and neuropeptide tyrosine (NPY) revealed abundant staining of nerve fibers. Neuropeptide-contents in mucosal nerves was then quantitatively assessed and significant increases were found for SP (3.00 +/- 0.37 vs. 1.64 +/- 0.34 control group staining intensity) and VIP (2.33 +/- 0.42 vs. 0.82 +/- 0.33). In conclusion, these findings demonstrated differences in human nasal mucosa innervation between nonrhinitic and hyperreflectoric rhinitic subjects and provide evidence for a modulatory participation of neuropeptide-specific subpopulations of nerve fibers in hyperreflectoric rhinitis.

Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Biopsy, Needle; Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide; Case-Control Studies; Female; Humans; Immunohistochemistry; Male; Mast Cells; Middle Aged; Nasal Mucosa; Neuropeptides; Probability; Reference Values; Rhinitis, Allergic, Seasonal; Risk Factors; Sampling Studies; Sensitivity and Specificity; Severity of Illness Index; Substance P; Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide

Before terfenadine treatment, the mean substance P and vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) concentrations in nasal secretions from nasal allergy patients tended to be higher than the values of healthy subjects. During terfenadine treatment, the mean substance P concentrations in nasal secretions from patients allergic to house dust or pollen were significantly decreased to 62 and 39% of the initial values, respectively. The mean VIP concentrations in nasal secretions from the house dust allergy patients and the pollen allergy patients were significantly decreased to 52 and 18% of the initial values, respectively. Plasma substance P and VIP concentrations were not affected by nasal allergic symptom and terfenadine treatment.

Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; Humans; Immunoenzyme Techniques; Nasal Mucosa; Rhinitis, Allergic, Perennial; Rhinitis, Allergic, Seasonal; Substance P; Terfenadine; Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide

To clarify the role of substance P (SP) and vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) in nasal allergy, we measured their concentrations in the nasal secretions and plasma of normal subjects and patients with nasal allergy to house dust and Japanese cedar pollen by competitive enzyme-linked immunoassay. The mean levels of SP (224 pmol/L) and VIP (41.6 pmol/L) in the nasal secretions of normal subjects were significantly higher than those in plasma (SP 3.04 pmol/L and VIP 1.04 pmol/L; p < .01). The mean levels of SP and VIP in the nasal secretions of the pollinosis group were significantly higher than those of the control group (p < .05 and p < .01), while the levels of the house dust allergy group were not higher than those of the control group. Intranasal allergen challenge significantly reduced SP levels in the nasal secretions of the allergy groups, while it did not influence VIP levels in the nasal secretions. These findings suggest that SP and VIP are actively secreted into the nose and may play an important role in the allergic reaction on the surface of the human nasal mucosa.

Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Child; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; Humans; Middle Aged; Nasal Mucosa; Nasal Provocation Tests; Rhinitis, Allergic, Perennial; Rhinitis, Allergic, Seasonal; Substance P; Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide

Vasomotor rhinitis is commonly defined as an unspecific hyperractivity of the nasal mucosa. The symptoms might be due to increased parasympathetic activity to the nose with the release of vaso-secretory active substances. Experimental data from the cat suggest that the postganglionic parasympathetic mediator of nasal secretion is cholinergic, whereas the vascular responses appears to be due to a different mechanism. Apart from a rich sympathetic and parasympathetic innervation of the nasal mucosa there are other nerve fibres containing substance-P (SP) and vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP). The secreto-vasomotor responses can be influenced by activation of these fibres and the atropine resistant vasodilatation seen following Vidian nerve stimulation thus may partly be due to activation and release of SP and VIP. Furthermore, other vasoactive substances released such as e.g. SRS or Kallikrein may participate in these reactions.

Topics: Animals; Autacoids; Cats; Nasal Mucosa; Physical Stimulation; Rhinitis, Allergic, Seasonal; Substance P; Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide