Cysteine protease exposure induces upper airway rhinosinusitis through IL-33 mediated effects on innate immune and epithelial barrier function. Cysteine protease exposure induces upper airway rhinosinusitis through IL-33 mediated effects on innate immune and epithelial barrier function

A hallmark of type 2 inflammation in rhinosinusitis is the presence of eosinophilic infiltrates. In the lung, the cysteine protease papain causes robust type 2 inflammation due to innate mucosal immunity triggered by interleukin-33 release from the epithelial lining. As these effects are poorly understood for the sinonasal tissues, we investigated the epithelial and inflammatory findings induced by short-term papain instillation in the upper airway. C57BL/6 mice were intranasally exposed to papain and PBS as a model for protease-induced epithelial injury inflammation. We assessed the upper airway for changes mRNA shifts by microarray. Overall design: For microarray analysis we combined 4 samples into a single specimen that were instilled with papain and PBS, and analyzed using GeneChip Mouse Gene 2.0 ST Array (Affymetrix).