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Updated: Sep 29, 2026

Absorption of Nasal and Bronchial Fluids: Precision Sampling of the Human Respiratory Mucosa and Laboratory Processing of Samples
Published on: January 21, 2018
Cholinergic blockade does not alter the nasal congestive response to irritant provocation
Dennis Shusterman1, Mary-Alice Murphy, Paula Walsh
1Division of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, USA. dennis@itsa.ucsf.edu
Objective:
To understand the mechanism underlying the nasal congestive response to irritant challenge.
Methods:
We exposed 22 subjects--8 with seasonal allergic rhinitis (SAR), 6 with perennial allergic rhinitis (PAR), and 8 normals--to chlorine (Cl2) gas (1.0 ppm x 15 min.) by nasal CPAP mask. Control exposures (filtered air) were carried out on separate days, with counter-balancing of exposure order. Nasal airway resistance (NAR) was measured in triplicate before and after the provocation sequence using active posterior rhinomanometry. For each subject, this experiment was repeated twice, after [double-blinded] pre-treatment with: 1) ipratropium bromide (IB) 0.6% nasal spray, and 2) vehicle.
Results:
As a group, allergic rhinitics (SAR + PAR) showed greater [Cl2] exposure-related increases in NAR than did normals on placebo (vehicle) pretreatment days (p < 0.05). IB pre-treatment, however, did not have a systematic effect on Cl2-induced congestion.
Conclusion:
Cholinergic mechanisms do not appear to be responsible for the nasal congestive response to irritant provocation.
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