Allergic rhinitis (AR) is a common rhinopathy that affects up to 30% of the adult population. It is defined as an inflammation of the nasal mucosa, develops in allergic individuals, and is detected mostly by a positive skin-prick test. AR is characterized by a triad of nasal congestion, rhinorrhea, and sneezing. Mast cells (MCs) are innate immune system effector cells that play a pivotal role in innate immunity and modulating adaptive immunity, rendering them as key cells of allergic inflammation and thus of allergic diseases. MCs are typically located in body surfaces exposed to the external environment such as the nasal mucosa. Due to their location in the nasal mucosa, they are in the first line of defense against inhaled substances such as allergens. IgE-dependent activation of MCs in the nasal mucosa following exposure to allergens in a sensitized individual is a cardinal mechanism in the pathophysiology of AR. This review is a comprehensive summary of MCs’ involvement in the development of AR symptoms and how classical AR medications, as well as emerging AR therapies, modulate MCs and MC-derived mediators involved in the development of AR.
<b><i>Introduction:</i></b> The pathogenesis of chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) with nasal polyps (CRSwNPs) is not yet completely understood. Based on current knowledge, the infiltration of mast cells and eosinophils in nasal polyps (NPs) plays an important role. This study aimed to investigate the interplay of asthma and allergy etiopathology in CRSwNPs patients by specifically studying tissue mast cells and eosinophils and the pro-inflammatory marker CD48. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> Immunohistochemistry was used to assess eosinophils, mast cells, and CD48 expressing eosinophils infiltrating NPs, and flow cytometry was used to assess surface receptors expression on eosinophils from digested NPs. <b><i>Results:</i></b> Immunohistochemical analyses showed that mast cell infiltration in NPs is higher in allergic patients in comparison to nonallergic patients; eosinophils infiltration in asthmatic NPs was significantly elevated in comparison to the nonasthmatic NPs, and membrane CD48 (mCD48) expression on eosinophils infiltrating nonallergic asthmatic NPs was highly elevated in comparison to the other subgroups. Similarly, mCD48 and its high-affinity ligand m2B4’s expression on eosinophils from enzymatically digested NPs were significantly higher in nonallergic asthmatics in comparison to allergic asthmatics. <b><i>Conclusions:</i></b> Eosinophil infiltration in NPs for asthmatic patients, and mast cell infiltration for allergic patients, may be used as reliable biomarkers for endotyping CRSwNPs. In addition, CD48 in asthmatic patients who developed CRSwNPs could be regarded as a potential target for treatment.
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