Molecular Mechanisms of Chronic Rhinosinusitis and Potential Therapeutic Strategies

Dear Colleagues,

The prevalence of reactive nasal inflammatory conditions, for example, allergic rhinitis and chronic rhinosinusitis, is steadily increasing in parallel with significant environmental changes worldwide. Allergens and as yet undefined environmental agents may trigger these conditions via the involvement of host intrinsic factors, including the innate and adaptive immune system, the epithelial barrier function, a neuroinflammatory component (e.g., neurogenic inflammation), tissue remodeling processes, and the nasal microbiota. The critical role of the nasal microbiota in coordinating these components has emerged in recent studies, documenting a significant association between microbial composition and the onset and progression of allergic or nonallergic inflammation. It is now clear that the local microbiota is a major player in the development of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue and in the regulation of such adaptive responses as IgA production and the function of effector and regulatory T-cells. Microbial components also play a major role in the regulation of epithelial barrier functions. Bacterial components, including lipopolysaccharides, have also been shown to induce or amplify neuroinflammatory responses by engaging specific nociceptors. Finally, bacterial products may promote tissue remodeling processes, including nasal polyp formation, by interacting with formyl peptide receptors and inducing the expression of angiogenic factors and matrix-degrading enzymes.

Given the social and economic burden of rhinosinusal inflammation in the field of medicine and research, the journal Medicina is launching this Special Issue.

We encourage you and your co-workers to submit articles reporting on this topic. Reviews or original articles dealing with the biochemical and molecular aspects associated with rhinosinusitis pathogenesis in experimental models and humans, as well as articles providing an up-to-date overview of the most recent specific innovative molecular therapeutics in its management, are particularly welcome. 

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Medicina is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• rhinosinusitis
• nasal microbiota
• neurogenic inflammation
• remodeling processes
• epithelial barrier function
• innate and adaptive nasal immunity
• targeted therapy