Inflammatory cell populations have not been
yet precisely evaluated in cystic fibrosis (CF) airways.
We intended to characterize morphological modifications,
inflammatory cell infiltration and cell
proliferation in nasal tissues obtained from 15 CF
patients and from 6 non-CF patients with nasal
polyposis. Morphological analysis showed an intense
inflammatory infiltration in CF and non-CF tissues with
only few modifications in the epithelium from CF
tissues. Inflammatory cell populations characterized by
specific immunolabeling were quantified, showing a
predominance of macrophages and T- and B-lymphocytes
and only moderate numbers of neutrophils in CF
tissues; in non-CF polyps, lymphocytes and eosinophils
were abundant. Proliferating cell percentages quantified
after proliferating cell nuclear antigen immunolabeling
were 5.3+4.1% (mean t SD) in CF polyps and 3.1?1.2%
in non-CF polyps in epithelium but were very low in
lamina propria. Intense inflammation in nasal tissues
from CF patients is therefore dominated by macrophages
and lymphocytes rather than by neutrophils. While
morphology is preserved, proliferation is high in
epithelium from CF polyps. These findings should be
regarded in the future for a better understanding of
inflammation in CF airway disease