Fascin overexpression in nasal mucosa in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis with and without nasal polyps

ABSTRACT Objective: The aim of our research is to assess fascin expression in nasal tissues of patients with chronic rhinosinusitis with (CRSwNP) and without (CRSsNP) nasal polyps. Methods: Fascin expression in nasal tissues of 11 CRSwNP patients and 10 CRSsNP patients was immunohistochemically evaluated and compared with control subjects. Results: Fascin was found to be strongly expressed in epithelial cells in polyps in CRSwNP and nasal tissue in CRSsNP. Its strong expression was observed both in lamina propria and nasal epithelial cells in CRSsNP. Fascin overexpression in nasal mucosa in CRSwNP was more pronounced compared with CRSsNP. In addition, proliferating epithelial cells in polyp tissue were weakly immunostained, whereas mature cells expressed much more fascin. Conclusion: CRSwNP and CRSsNP are associated with fascin overexpression, which makes fascin a promising target for therapeutic interventions.