Comparison between the uptake of nitrous oxide and nitric oxide in the human nose.

The absorption of nitrous oxide (N2O) during unidirectional flow was compared with the rate of uptake of nitric oxide (NO). At flow rates of 10, 20, and 60 ml/min from one nostril to the other, with the soft palate closed, the N2O reached a steady-state rate of absorption in 5-15 min. The mean superficial capillary blood flow (n = 5) calculated from solubility and the steady-state rate of N2O absorption ranged from 13.3 to 15.9 ml/min. The relation between absorption of N2O in the nose and capillary blood flow fits a ventilation-perfusion model used by others to describe uptake of inert, soluble gases in the rat nose. By contrast, the rate of uptake of NO gas, which is chemically reactive, is 25-31 times as great as predicted by just its blood-to-air partition coefficient. Exogenous NO (16.9 parts/million) did not induce nasal vasodilation as measured with laser Doppler and N2O absorption methods. The difference between the measured rate of uptake of NO and the rate of uptake attributable to its partition coefficient in blood at the rate of blood flow calculated from N2O uptake is probably due to chemical reaction of NO in mucous secretions, nasal tissues, and capillary blood.