Migration of regulatory T cells toward airway epithelial cells is impaired in chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyposis

The pathogenesis of chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyposis (CRSwNP) is still unclear. To evaluate the role of regulatory T cells (Treg) in the pathogenesis of nasal polyposis, we tested migration potential of Treg purified from subjects with CRSwNP, CRS without NP and controls. The nasal tissue expressions of FOXP3 were analyzed by means of RT-PCR and double immunohistochemistry. Chemotaxis assays were used to evaluate the migration potential of Treg onto bronchial epithelial cells and primary nasal epithelial cells, and toward chemokines. FOXP3+CD3+ cells frequency and FOXP3 transcript expression in nasal tissue, and migration potentials of Treg toward airway epithelial cells and CCL1 were significantly lower in CRSwNP compared with other groups (P < 0.05). These results indicate that migration potential of Treg is decreased in CRSwNP subjects, and this may be one of the reasons why tissue infiltration of Treg was decreased as seen in the immunohistochemistry of nasal polyps from CRSwNP subjects.