Decreased expression of autophagy markers in culture-positive patients with chronic otitis media

Abstract

Objective Abnormal autophagy plays a role in the pathogenesis of various diseases. This study aimed to evaluate associations between the clinical manifestations of chronic otitis media (COM) and expression of autophagy markers. Methods Associations between presence of bacteria, otorrhea, and conductive and sensorineural hearing loss and levels of autophagy-related mRNAs were investigated in 47 patients with COM. Results Autophagy-related mRNAs were detected in all inflammatory tissues of COM patients. LC3-II showed the highest level of expression, followed by Beclin-1, P13KC3, Rubicon, and mTOR. Beclin-1 mRNA levels were significantly lower in culture-positive than in culture-negative patients. Conclusion Autophagy is involved in the pathogenesis of COM. The finding that expression of autophagy markers, especially Beclin-1, was lower in culture-positive than in culture-negative patients suggested that these markers are closely associated with the clinical features of COM.