Platelet-Rich Plasma for Rhinitis Medicamentosa: A Promising Histopathological Study in an Animal Model

To investigate whether platelet-rich plasma (PRP) has an efficacy on histopathologic changes in rhinitis medicamentosa (RM) in a rat model.

Experimental animal study.

University animal laboratory.

Forty Wistar albino rats were randomly assigned to five groups to assess the effects of various treatments on RM. Group 1 received intranasal normal saline solution (NSS) for 60 days and served as the negative control. Group 2 was administered intranasal oxymetazoline for 60 consecutive days to induce RM. After decapitation, histopathological evaluation confirmed the development of RM in group 2. The remaining three groups were then similarly treated with oxymetazoline for 60 days. Following this period, group-specific treatments were applied for an additional 15 days: group 3 received NSS, group 4 was treated with intranasal corticosteroids, and group 5 received intranasal PRP. Nasal mucosal samples were harvested and subjected to histopathological evaluation to determine treatment-related changes.

Intranasal PRP treatment significantly reduced submucosal edema and improved submucosal gland degeneration (SGD) scores in the nasal mucosa. Moreover, PRP treatment led to a greater reduction in total histopathological score compared to steroid treatment (P = .007).

This study demonstrated that PRP administration effectively ameliorates submucosal edema, SGD, and total histopathologic score in experimentally induced RM. Given that PRP is an autologous product with a low risk of side effects, it may serve as a promising alternative to steroids in the treatment of RM.