title: Ultrastructure of rabbit tracheal epithelium after saline lavage of the airways.
abstract: In experiment the effect of saline lavage on the ultrastructure of the tracheal epithelium was investigated. Immediately after this procedure the trachea was lined with markedly altered pseudostratified columnar epithelium with remnants of the ciliary border. The intercellular spaces were markedly dilated, but the apical junctional complexes were left intact. 99% of the goblet cells were exhausted degenerated and were gradually expelled from the epithelium. Damage to the ciliated cells was not so generalized but some of them displayed signs of vacuolar degeneration. The ciliary border was severely impaired with only 1.5 kinocilia/microns 2, but the majority of remaining cilia were intact. Compared with controls there was only mild, but significant increase in the number of degenerating and malformed cilia. Morphological signs of impaired self-cleaning ability of the epithelium were not noticed.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Konrádová
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kanta
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sulová
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004848:Epithelium / Q000187:drug effects / Q000648:ultrastructure; D011817:Rabbits; D012965:Sodium Chloride / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007507:Therapeutic Irrigation; D014132:Trachea / Q000187:drug effects / Q000648:ultrastructure*
chemical_list: D012965:Sodium Chloride