Mechanism of slowing of mucociliary transport induced by SO2 exposure.

Responses of nasal mucociliary transport mechanisms to exposure to 6 ppm SO2 were studied in chickens in vivo. This model takes advantage of the natural cleft palate which exposes the mucociliated base of the nasal septum. Exposure to 6 ppm SO2 decreased the mucociliary transport rate along the base of the nasal septum. The minimum force required to move an iron particle along this area of mucous membrane by use of a magnetic field in vivo increased significantly after SO2 exposure, while the minimum force required to move an iron particle on a pool of mucus collected from the same chicken and tested in vitro showed no change after SO2 exposure. The elastic recoil distance of mucus was measured both in vivo and in vitro. The in vivo recoil distance decreased significantly after SO2 exposure, while SO2 exposure did not change recoil distance in vitro. It is proposed that exposure of chickens to SO2 results in the formation of multiple points of adhesion of strands of mucus between the acinar gland cells and the emergent extracellular mucus or adhesion of a mucous blanket to the cilia, causing mucociliary transport to be retarded or static.