Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 24, 2026
Collection, Expansion, and Differentiation of Primary Human Nasal Epithelial Cell Models for Quantification of Cilia Beat Frequency
Published on: November 10, 2021
Influence of preservatives and topical steroids on ciliary beat frequency in vitro
Thiemo Hofmann1, Markus Gugatschga, Bernd Koidl
1Department of Otorhinolaryngology, University Medical School of Graz, Graz, Austria. thiemo.hofmann@kfunigraz.ac.at
Objective:
To measure the influence of topical steroids and the preservative potassium sorbate on the ciliary beat frequency (CBF) of human nasal mucosa in vitro.
Design:
In vitro study of cultured ciliated cells of human nasal mucosa.
Methods:
Human nasal mucosa was removed endoscopically and cultured for 10 days. Cell cultures with ciliated cells grown on an object slide were exposed to benzalkonium chloride and topical steroids in an exposure chamber. The CBF was measured with a photometer.
Results:
The preservative potassium sorbate did not influence CBF in different concentrations. The glucocorticoid budesonide spray containing potassium sorbate did not affect CBF at 10% dilution and showed moderate reversible decrease of CBF at 50% dilution. The glucocorticoid sprays fluticasone propionate and mometasone fuorate containing the preservative benzalkonium chloride caused a reversible decrease of CBF at 10% dilution and a complete irreversible standstill at 50% dilution.
Conclusions:
In vitro, the steroid sprays containing fluticasone or mometasone, both with benzalkonium chloride, caused slowing or standstill of CBF depending on the concentration. The isolated preservative potassium sorbate and the budesonide nasal spray containing this preservative did not have negative influence on CBF in vitro. Potassium sorbate can therefore be considered harmless to the motility of ciliated cells.
