Detection of GSK-3β activation index in pediatric chronic tonsillitis is an indicator for chronic recurrent inflammation

Abstract Purpose Chronic tonsillitis (TC) is among the most common bacterial diseases in pediatric otolaryngology. We aimed to evaluate the expression of glycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK-3β) in a cohort of children with chronic tonsillitis (TC), and the correlation between GSK-3β activity index and inflammatory profiles of TC. Materials and methods The expression of GSK-3β was comparably evaluated between children with TC (n = 26) and tonsillar hypertrophy (TH, n = 26). GSK-3β expression was detected by immunohistochemistry, RT-qPCR, and Western blot. The inflammatory profiles between the TC and TH groups were also evaluated. Results We found that while GSK-3β was highly expressed in both TC and TH groups, no significant difference were detected at mRNA and protein levels between groups. The protein level of p-GSK-3β was significantly lower in the TC group as compared to the TH group. Additionally, the inflammatory markers, including NF-κB, T-bet, and IFN-γ were higher in the TC group compared to TH group. The GSK-3β activation index was positively correlated with the levels of NF-κB, T-bet, and IFN-γ in the TC group. Conclusions Our findings suggested that GSK-3β activation index was demonstrated to be a clinically applicable indicator for chronic recurrent inflammation in pediatric TC.