ACTA FAC MED NAISS 2009;  26 (2): 83-88

Original article

QUANTIFICATION OF TUMOR NECROSIS FACTOR-ALPHA-PRODUCING CELLS IN DIFFERENT TYPES OF CHRONIC TONSILLITIS


 

Vladimir Petrovic¹, Verica Avramovic¹, Dragan Mihailovic², Miroljub Todorovic<sup>3

1</sup>Institute for Histology and Embryology of the Faculty of Medicine in Nis, Serbia
²Institute for Pathology, Clinical Center Nis, Serbia
³Clinic for Otorhinolaryngology, Clinical center of Podgorica, Montenegro

SUMMARY

Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) is the main proinflammatory cytokine of Th1 immune response. The aim of the study was to show the possible differences in the intensity of the Th1 immune response in chronic hypertrophic tonsillitis (CHT) and reccurent tonsillitis (RT) by quantifying the numerical areal density of the TNF-α-producing cells in tonsillar tissue.
As a material we used tonsils which were taken after tonsilectomy, from patients of both sexes, aged 10-29 years: five tonsils with RT and six tonsils with CHT. The quantification of the TNF-α-producing cells was performed on 5µm thick serial paraffin tissue slices, which were stained, by using LSAB+/HRP immunohistochemical method, on TNF-α. For quantification we used Image J software.
The numerical areal density of the TNF-α-producing cells show statistically significant differences in crypt epithelium, subepithelial lymphoid tissue and interfollicular region of the tonsils with RT and CHT. There is not statistically significant difference of TNF-α-producing cells in lymphoid follicles between the groups.
The results show that there is a significant difference in the production of TNF-α in tonsils with RT and CHT. This difference is probabably conditioned by the different pathogenetic mechanisms in the development of RT and CHT and point at the difference of Th1 immune response in CHT and RT.

Key words: chronic tonsillitis, TNF-α-producing cells, morphometry