Mucosal invariant T cells combined with inflammatory cytokines were used to identify chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps or without nasal polyps

Objective: The present study attempted to analyze the effect of mucosal-associated invariant T (MAIT) combined with inflammatory factors in identifying chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) without nasal polyps (CRSsNP) and CRS with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) that provides a clinical reference. Methods: In this retrospective study, we enrolled 56 CRSsNP patients, 68 CRSwNP patients, and 60 healthy controls. Flow cytometry was used to detect the frequency of peripheral blood MAIT cells (MAIT+). Serum levels of hs-CRP, IL-1β, and IL-6 were measured by ELISA and automatic blood cell analyzer, and their correlations with MAIT cell alterations were analyzed. The diagnostic effect of MAIT+ combined with hs-CRP, IL-1β, and IL-6 on CRS was analyzed using ROC curves. Results: Both CRSsNP and CRSwNP patients exhibited significantly reduced MAIT+ frequencies compared to controls (P<0.05), with CRSwNP showing the most pronounced decrease (P<0.05). MAIT+ levels were inversely correlated with hs-CRP, IL-1β, and IL-6 in CRS patients. ROC analysis demonstrated that MAIT+ effectively discriminated CRSsNP (AUC=0.793) and CRSwNP (AUC=0.863) from healthy individuals (P<0.01). After combined with inflammatory factors, the diagnostic effect of MAIT+ on CRSsNP (AUC=0.933) and CRSwNP (AUC=0.939) was further improved. Conclusion: Detection of MAIT+ combined with inflammatory factors may provide novel biomarkers for CRS subtype identification.