Abstract:

Objective To compare the proportion of cell populations and effects of exogenous stimuli on ciliary beat frequency(CBF) in mouse nasal and tracheal epithelium.
Methods Mouse nasal and tracheal epithelial cells were cultured by enzymatic digestion culture method, the yield of ciliary cells and also the effects of ATP, benzalkonium bromide on CBF were observed. In addition, the proportion of cell populations in nasal and tracheal epithelium was investigated by immunohistochemistry and scanning electron microscope(SEM).
Results ① Cultured ciliated epithelial cells were(45±5)% of the total cell population in nasal turbinate epithelium, whereas, tracheal ciliary cells comprised(15±5)% of total cell population. ② Expression of acytylated αtubulin was detected in both nasal and tracheal epithelium, however, the positive cells in nasal epithelium appeared more continuously and densely than in tracheal epithelium. ③ CBF increased with treatment of 100 μmol/L ATP both in nasal(235.06%) and tracheal(118.49%) epithelial cells, the difference between two groups was significant(P=0.013). While CBF decreased with addition of 0.005% benzalkonium bromide, significant difference between nasal(50.31%) and tracheal(8.27%) epithelium was detected(P=0.004). ④ By SEM, the proportion of ciliary cells in nasal(90%) epithelium was much higher than in trachea(30%~40%).
Conclusion There are significant differences in the proportion of ciliary cells and CBF changes towards exogenous stimuli in nasal and tracheal epithelium; ciliary cell numbers of nasal epithelium were much higher than those in trachea, among which turbinate is an abundant resource for ciliary cell cultures that should not be ignored.

Key words: nasal cavity, tracheal, epithelium, cilia, ciliary beat frequency