Moderate leukocyte infiltration in the lower turbinate mucosa after a two-week intranasal administration of mometasone furoate, azelastine or salmon calcitonin.
OBJECTIVE
We used light microscopy to search for local changes of the nasal mucosa associated with daily intranasal administration of mometasone furoate (MF), azelastine (AZ) or salmon calcitonin (SC).


METHODS
Biopsies of the lower nasal turbinate were obtained from four groups of 8 individuals after 14 days of daily administration of a saline solution (control group) or of MF AZ and SC.


METHODS
Small biopsies of the anterior portion of the lower nasal turbinate were collected with the help of a Hartmann forceps under direct visual inspection. The samples were processed for light microscopy and morphometric analysis. Inflammatory infiltration (neutrophils and lymphocytes) of the nasal mucosa was evaluated by a semiquantitative method. Unpaired t test and Bernoulli distribution were applied to evaluate statistical differences between data from the different groups of samples.


RESULTS
Samples of the turbinate mucosa of all of the drug-treated groups showed a moderate enhancement in infiltrating neutrophils when compared with the samples from the control group. Infiltration of lymphocytes in the turbinate chorion was significantly different from controls only in the MF and AZ-treated groups.


CONCLUSIONS
Intranasal treatment with MF AZ or SC does not cause significant changes in the general architecture of the nasal mucosa. A moderate inflammatory response of the turbinate mucosa, that was expressed by leukocyte infiltration of epithelium and chorion, was observed in all of the 3 drug-treated groups of patients after the 2-week course of intranasal deposition of MF, AZ or SC.
Vera-Cruz
P
P
Hospital da Marinha, Serviço de Otorrinolaringologia, Lisboa, Portugal. p_vera_cruz@netcabo.pt
Ferreira
M
M
Zagalo
C
C
dos Santos
Martins J
MJ
Aguas
A P
AP
D000281:Administration, Intranasal; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D018926:Anti-Allergic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D001706:Biopsy; D002116:Calcitonin / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007958:Leukocyte Count; D007962:Leukocytes / Q000473:pathology*; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008859:Microscopy, Polarization; D008875:Middle Aged; D000068656:Mometasone Furoate; D009297:Nasal Mucosa / Q000473:pathology*; D009504:Neutrophils / Q000473:pathology; D010793:Phthalazines / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D011244:Pregnadienediols / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D014420:Turbinates
D018926:Anti-Allergic Agents; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents; D010793:Phthalazines; D011244:Pregnadienediols; D000068656:Mometasone Furoate; C028815:salmon calcitonin; D002116:Calcitonin; C020976:azelastine