Tumour necrosis factor-α in nasal allergy

Tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and eosinophil cationic protein (ECP) by radio-immunoassay to evaluate TNF-alpha in nasal allergy. There was no significant difference either between the mean concentrations of TNF-alpha in nasal secretions from the patients with perennial nasal allergy and those of normal subjects, or between the TNF-alpha and ECP concentrations. However, reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction showed a specific increase of TNF-alpha mRNA and IFN-gamma mRNA in allergic nasal mucosa after allergen challenge in vitro. These findings suggest a possibility that T cell-derived IFN-gamma up-regulates macrophages to elaborate TNF-alpha, which may play a role in amplifying allergic inflammation in the nose through the cytokine network.