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Updated: Sep 25, 2026

Culturing of Human Nasal Epithelial Cells at the Air Liquid Interface
Published on: October 8, 2013
[Sodium channels in the apical membrane of human nasal epithelial cells]
1Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Third Clinical Hospital of Bethune University of Medical Sciences, Changchun 130031.
Objective:
To study the physiological properties of sodium channels in the apical membrane of human nasal epithelial cells.
Methods:
Serum-free cultured nasal epithelial cells of human inferior turbinate from obstructive sleep apnea syndrome patients on collagen gel-coated membranes at an air-liquid interface were studied by patch clamp technique.
Results:
In cell-attached patches, a typical single channels current was recorded, their conductance was 21.09 pS, the reversal potential was -50.96, and 77.78% of them < -40 mV. Permeability ratio PNa/PK > 5.80. In the presence of 10(-4) mmol/L amiliride in the pipette, the incidence of sodium channels decreased from 26.67% to 5.13%. It revealed that a population of channels were inhibited by amiloride. Ca2+ did not influence the incidence of sodium channels(P > 0.05), there were no obviously association between voltage and the open probability of the channels.
Conclusion:
On Na+ channels in cell attached patches of human nasal epithelial cells, most of channels are amiloride-sensitive and selective Na+ over K+; The channels were not activated by extracellular Ca2+, but the open probability of them were voltage-independence.
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