Influence of sympathetic and parasympathetic substances in clinical concentrations on human nasal ciliary beat.

The effect of autonomic substances on ciliary beat in mucosal biopsies from the normal human nose was studied. The influence on ciliary beat frequency (CBF) as well as on ciliary beat harmony was measured photoelectrically. The sympathetic beta-agonist isoprenaline was found to have a stimulatory effect on CBF, whereas the alpha-agonist xylometazoline reduced CBF and ciliary beat harmony. The parasympathetic agonist carbachol had a positive effect on CBF. The sympathetic antagonists timolol (beta) and phentolamine (alpha) as well as the parasympathetic antagonist atropine had no effect. The effect of the agonists on ciliary beat was absent when they were administered in combination with their specific antagonists. These experiments indicate that, in clinical concentrations, the autonomic substances modify ciliary beat by a direct effect on the ciliated cells.