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Joseph E. Kerschner, MD; Tanya K. Meyer, MD; Amy Burrows, BS

Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2004;130:1163-1167.

Objectives  To review the importance of mucin on a molecular level in the understanding of the pathophysiology of otitis media and to present new data demonstrating differential up-regulation of specific mucin genes during inflammation of middle ear epithelium.

Design  Primary chinchilla middle ear epithelial cultures (CMEECs) were established and exposed to tumor necrosis factor and interleukin 1. Expression of chincilla mucin genes 1, 2, 4, and 5AC was analyzed by means of reverse transcriptase–polymerase chain reaction after this exposure and compared with that of controls. Mucin secretion was also characterized by means of exclusion chromatography and liquid scintillation.

Results  The CMEECs exposed to interleukin 1 and tumor necrosis factor demonstrated significant up-regulation of mucin gene 2 (P = .005 and P = .007, respectively) and trends suggestive of up-regulation of mucin gene 5AC compared with the controls. These CMEECs also demonstrated significant increases in secretion of mucin compared with controls. Mucin genes 1 and 4 did not demonstrate up-regulation.

Conclusions  In CMEECs, the inflammatory mediators tumor necrosis factor and interleukin 1 cause a differential up-regulation and expression of mucin genes. Elucidating the effect of specific cytokines on the regulation of mucin secretion in the middle ear is vital to understanding the pathophysiology of otitis media. A greater understanding of these mechanisms and variations between individuals and pathogens has the potential to significantly alter the approach and management of otitis media in children and lead to novel therapeutic interventions.

From the Division of Pediatric Otolaryngology (Dr Kerschner), Department of Otolaryngology and Communication Sciences (Drs Kerschner and Meyer and Ms Burrows), Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee. The authors have no relevant financial interest in this article.

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