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

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.