Physiological saline nasal spray transiently improves mucociliary clearance

Abstract

Conclusion : Nasal spraying of physiological saline significantly improves the nasal mucociliary transport within a short time. Objectives : To examine the effect of a nasal spray of physiological saline on the nasal mucociliary transport. Method : The subjects were 13 people (4 men and 9 women) without any nasal diseases or nasal symptoms at the time of the test. The subjects ranged in age from 23 to 53 years, with a mean age of 29.3 years. The saccharin test was performed on three different days in each subject. On the first day, the saccharin time was measured without any pretreatment. On the second day, the saccharin time was measured 5 minutes in the subjects after nasal spray of saline twice into each nostril. On the third day, the saccharin time was measured 15 minutes after the nasal spray had been used in the subjects. Results : The saccharin time measured 5 minutes after the nasal spray was significantly shorter than that measured without the nasal spray by the Wilcoxon's signed-rank test (p<0.05 with Bonferroni's correction). The saccharin time measured 15 minutes after the nasal spray was not significantly different from that measured on the second day. There was no significant difference between the saccharin time on the first day and that on the third day.