Abstract
Introduction Antrochoanal polyp, which is a kind of smooth-surfaced single nasal polyp, is commonly present in cases of nasal obstruction. The pathogenesis of polyp formation is still unclear, but allergy is supposed to be a cause. Objectives To investigate the expression levels of antioxidant enzymes in antrochoanal polyp tissue. Methods The antrochoanal polyp group was composed of 23 patients who were diagnosed microscopically, and the control group was composed of 38 healthy patients. The sample of the control group was taken from the inferior turbinate mucosa by punch biopsy under general anesthesia, and the antrochoanal polyp sample was collected from sinus surgery. The cytochrome P450 (CYP) and glutathione S-transferase (GST) expressions of the groups were investigated under microscopy and scored by senior pathologists. Results The antrochoanal polyp group had statistically less expression of CYP family 1 subfamily A member 1 (CYP1A1) than the control group ( p < 0.05). Moreover, GST Pi 1 (GSTP1), GST Mu 1 (GSTM1), and GST Alpha 1 (GSTA1) expressions were not different between the groups ( p > 0.05). Conclusion Allergy and chronic inflammation are postulated reasons for antrochoanal polyp formation, but, according to our results, we could not detect any relation between antrochoanal polyp formation and GST expression in tissue. However, the decreased level of CYP1A1 expression in the antrochoanal polyp group may be related with the pathogenesis of the antrochoanal polyp formation.