To study the detailed effects of exogenous adenosine triphosphate (ATP) on ciliary function, we used the differential interference microscope equipped with high speed video and evaluated ciliated cells from the human sinus mucosa in monolayer culture. With this system it was possible to evaluate all parts of ciliary motility with a minimum of interference from the mucous membrane, secretory cells and the autonomic nervous system. The best direct ciliostimulative effect of exogenous ATP on ciliary beat frequency (CBF) and ciliary beat amplitude (CBA) was observed at concentrations of ATP ranging from 10(-5) M to 10(-3) M. Exogenous ATP appeared to normalize the slightly damaged ciliary motility in groups with an initial CBF of 14 Hz or higher. When the CBF was less than 14 Hz, ATP produced an increase in CBF greater than 40%, an increase in CBA greater than 30%, but these did not reach the normal level in 5 min. The biggest increases: 59.9% in CBF and 40.7% in CBA were seen in the group with an initial CBF less than 9 Hz. In the cells with a low initial CBF and unsynchronized motility exogenous ATP increased the synchrony of ciliary movement together with an increase in CBF and CBA.
The degeneration of ciliary beat of human respiratory cells was studied in monolayer cell cultures by using a differential interference microscope equipped with a high speed video system. This method for studying ciliary beat in cell cultures on collagen-coated cover glasses is quite advantageous, because it allows for detailed study of all parts of ciliary function and not just ciliary beat frequency (CBF). In the present study both CBF and ciliary beat amplitude (CBA) were found to decrease continuously from the 1st day after plating but the wave form of ciliary beat did not change. Cultures with high cell density provided better preservation of normal ciliary beat for a longer period. In contrast, ciliary beat degenerated quickly in cultures with low cell density. CBF and CBA in cell cultures less than 5 days after plating were always high, supporting use of these cultures for studies of normal ciliary motility.
This study was conducted to investigate the sialylations of glycoproteins in the nasal glands of patients with chronic sinusitis. Sialic acids were detected using lectin histochemistry, and the mRNA of sialyltransferase was evaluated by in situ hybridization histochemistry. Sambucus nigra agglutinin (SNA), which recognizes terminal sialic acids, strongly stained the glandular mucous cells of normal subjects, but not those of patients with chronic sinusitis. In situ hybridization histochemistry showed that the expression of alpha2,6 sialyltransferase mRNA was decreased in the secretory cells of patients with chronic sinusitis. Our present results suggest that a reduction in sialyltransferase activity at the mRNA level in the nasal glands may lead to the persistence of chronic sinusitis.
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