Vitamin D3 Regulates TLR4/NF-κB Signaling to Ameliorate Chronic Rhinosinusitis in Mice
Description
We hypothesized that VD3 supplementation alleviates CRS symptoms and tested whether inflammation and tissue damage in experimental CRS are reduced through VD3-mediated blocking of TLR4/NF-κB signaling. In mice modeling CRS, we administered therapeutic doses of VD3 and evaluated disease phenotypes, inflammatory cytokine profiles, and key molecular events within the TLR4/NF-κB cascade. To investigate the underlying mechanisms, nasal mucosal tissues were collected for paraffin embedding and sectioning, followed by HE and PAS staining to observe histopathological changes under an optical microscope. Additionally, ELISA was performed to measure the concentrations of inflammatory cytokines (IL-6, IL-17, IL-23, IL-10, and TGF-β) in the nasal mucosa. Protein expression levels of TLR4 and NF-κB were detected by western blotting, while their mRNA expression levels were determined by qPCR. The first four authors (LuFang Chen, Jingying Wen, Yanfang Lin, and Zheng Lin) are from Quanzhou First Hospital Affiliated to Fujian Medical University, and the fifth author (Jiangrong Ke) is from Anhai Hospital of Jinjiang, Quanzhou.