Abstract
We studied the development of Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen (PCNA) widely used for observing the kinetics or mechanism of cellular proliferation in nasal polyps. PCNA-positive cells were found to develop on the gland epithelium and epithelial cells. Each epithelium has a different shape, and thus in the ciliated epithelium of the affected portion there appeared no significant difference from that of normal maxillary sinus mucosa. In the portion of squamous metaplasia, on the other hand, many PCNA-positive cells were observed in the area ranging from the basal layer to the epidermal layer, suggesting the active cell division and proliferation. In the area indicative of hyperplasia, there were a lot of secretory cells observed, and a great many PCNA-positive cells were recognized in goblet cells as well as in the basal cells. This showed that in the epithelium of nasal polyps, goblet cells also have a vitally proliferating potential, which was suggestive of possibility that hyperplasia of epithelial cells during inflammation may cause the proliferation of secretory cells as well. These findings have led us to postulate that the proliferation of goblet cells may be regarded as a biotical reaction occurring in the course of recovery when epithelial cells are affected by inflammation.
