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Updated: Aug 23, 2026

Absorption of Nasal and Bronchial Fluids: Precision Sampling of the Human Respiratory Mucosa and Laboratory Processing of Samples
Published on: January 21, 2018
Effect of a beta-adrenergic agonist, fenoterol, on nasal sensitivity to allergen
Abstract:
Fenoterol hydrobromide, 1 mg/ml, was given by nasal spray in doses between 204 and 576 microgram in an attempt to reduce nasal sensitivity to Lolium perenne allergen in a nasal provocation test during a 2-hr period following the drug. In a randomized double-blind comparison between fenoterol and placebo in 11 patients, reduction of nasal sensitivity be fenoterol was small but significant in a one-tailed test (p = 0.03). In the 15 min following the fenoterol spray the increase in the average nasal airway resistance (NAR) was significantly higher than the increase in NAR after placebo (p = 0.026), suggesting that fenoterol may also act as a vasodilator in the nose. This effect is consistent with findings by other investigators who showed that isoproterenol also increased nasal airways resistance.
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