Jiaqi Shen,1 Xinliang Zheng,1 Mohan Yan,1 Minqian Feng,1 Chan Ding,1 Shuanghua Xie,2 Huadong Xu1 

1School of Public Health, Zhejiang Provincial People’s Hospital (Affiliated People’s Hospital), Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Central Laboratory, Beijing Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital, Beijing, People’s Republic of China

Correspondence: Huadong Xu, School of Public Health, Zhejiang Provincial People’s Hospital (Affiliated People’s Hospital), Hangzhou Medical College, 182 Tianmushan Road, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, People’s Republic of China, Email xuhuadong@hmc.edu.cn

Purpose: Seasonal allergic rhinitis (SAR) is a prevalent inflammatory condition, yet its molecular mechanisms and reliable biomarkers remain incompletely understood. This study aimed to identify key inflammation-related proteins and pathways associated with SAR by investigating seasonal proteomic profile variations and their correlations with SAR symptoms.
Patients and Methods: Serum samples were collected from nineteen SAR patients during both allergy (in-season, IS) and non-allergy (out-of-season, OS) periods. Differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) were identified using the Olink Target 96 Inflammation panel, which were further analyzed through Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analyses. Spearman correlation analysis was conducted to explore associations between DEPs and SAR symptoms, including sneezing, rhinorrhea, nasal blockage, itchy nose, and itchy eye.
Results: A total of 36 inflammation-related DEPs were identified, all significantly upregulated in the allergy season. Notable proteins such as glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF), interleukin-18 receptor 1 (IL-18R1), and interleukin-15 receptor alpha (IL-15RA) showed strong correlations with SAR symptoms. Sneezing was associated with IL-2 receptor beta (IL-2RB) (r = 0.415, p = 0.013), rhinorrhea with FMS-related tyrosine kinase 3 ligand (Flt3L) (r = 0.455, p = 0.004), and nasal blockage with osteoprotegerin (OPG) (r = 0.493, p = 0.002). GO analysis revealed enrichments in Ras signaling and small GTPase pathways, while KEGG analysis highlighted immune-related pathways, including PI3K-Akt signaling and cytokine-cytokine receptor interactions.
Conclusion: This study identified key inflammation-related proteins and pathways that vary seasonally in SAR, offering insights into potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets for SAR management. Further studies are recommended to validate these findings in larger and more diverse populations.

Keywords: seasonal allergic rhinitis, Olink proximity extension assay, biomarkers, differentially expressed proteins, nasal symptoms