[The circadian rhythm of ciliary beat frequency of human nasal cilia in probands with healthy lungs and in patients with chronic obstructive lung disease. Includes adrenergic stimulation by terbutaline].

Brush biopsies taken from the human nose eight times during 24 hours were examined under a phase contrast microscope and the ciliary beat frequency was measured directly by a photosensitive cell. Ten healthy volunteers showed in two series of measurements, at 600, 1200, 1800, 2400 initially and 300, 900, 1500, 2100 six weeks later, a marked decrease in ciliary beat frequency towards the middle of the day and a statistically higher beat frequency in the early morning. The influence of the adrenergic drug terbutaline led to a cilioexcitation ranging from 0.1-1.4 Hz (mean: 0.9 Hz). In contrast to, neither a circadian variation of the ciliary beat frequency nor a stimulation by terbutaline could be observed in a group of fifteen patients with chronic bronchitis or bronchiectasis at 600, 1200, 1800 and 2400.