Nasal curettage for minimally invasive immunohistochemical assessment of TRPM8 and TRPV1 in the nasal mucosa
Abstract
Transient receptor potential (TRP) channels are key regulators of nasal physiology and airflow perception, yet their longitudinal study is hindered by the invasiveness of conventional biopsies. This study validates nasal curettage as a minimally invasive alternative for assessing TRPM8 and TRPV1 expression. We compared paired curettage and biopsy samples from fifteen patients using immunohistochemistry. While biopsies consistently preserved tissue architecture, curettage yielded fragmented specimens; however, evaluable respiratory epithelium was successfully retrieved in 60% of cases. Crucially, within these evaluable samples, curettage faithfully reproduced the staining intensity and compartmental distribution patterns of both TRPV1 and TRPM8 observed in matched biopsies. The identified limitations were restricted to tissue yield rather than immunohistochemical artifacts. Consequently, nasal curettage serves as a reliable, less invasive proxy for analyzing epithelial TRP channel expression. Despite losing stromal architectural context, this technique offers a practical avenue for repeated molecular sampling in clinical rhinology research.
Citation Information
@article{miguelsarobuenda2026,
title={Nasal curettage for minimally invasive immunohistochemical assessment of TRPM8 and TRPV1 in the nasal mucosa},
author={Miguel Saro-Buendía and Manuel Mata and Alfonso García-Piñero and Lara Milián and Pedro Suárez-Urquiza and Miguel Armengot-Carceller},
journal={Scientific Reports},
year={2026},
doi={https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-8724816/v1}
}
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