Rapid changes in mucociliary transport in the tracheal epithelium caused by unconditioned room air or nebulized hypertonic saline and mannitol are not determined by frequency of beating cilia

Abstract Background Inspired air is heated and humidified in the nose before it reaches lower airways. This mechanism is bypassed during tracheostomy, directly exposing the airways to colder and drier air from the environment, known to negatively affect mucociliary transport; however, little is know...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Susyn Joan Kelly, Paul Martinsen, Stanislav Tatkov
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: SpringerOpen 2021-03-01
Series:Intensive Care Medicine Experimental
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1186/s40635-021-00374-y
_version_ 1818677645581221888
author Susyn Joan Kelly
Paul Martinsen
Stanislav Tatkov
author_facet Susyn Joan Kelly
Paul Martinsen
Stanislav Tatkov
author_sort Susyn Joan Kelly
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Background Inspired air is heated and humidified in the nose before it reaches lower airways. This mechanism is bypassed during tracheostomy, directly exposing the airways to colder and drier air from the environment, known to negatively affect mucociliary transport; however, little is known about how quickly mucociliary transport deteriorates. This study determines the short-term effect of flowing room air and nebulized hypertonic saline and mannitol on mucociliary transport in the trachea. In an ovine perfused in vitro tracheal model (N = 9) the epithelium was exposed to 25 L/min of flow, heated to lamb body temperature (38 °C) and fully saturated with water vapor as the control, followed by either room air (22 °C and 50% relative humidity) or nebulized solutions of NaCl 7% and mannitol 20% up to 1 min for a short duration, until mucociliary transport had visually changed. Mucus transport velocity (MTV) and cilia beat frequency (CBF) were continuously measured with video-microscopy. Results Exposing the tracheal epithelium to air heated to body temperature and fully humidified had stable MTV 9.5 ± 1.1 mm/min and CBF 13.4 ± 0.6 Hz. When exposed to flow of room air, MTV slowed down to 0.1 ± 0.1 mm/min in 2.0 ± 0.4 s followed by a decrease in CBF to 6.7 ± 1.9 Hz, after 2.3 ± 0.8 s. Both MTV and CBF recovered to their initial state when heated and humidified air-flow was re-introduced. Exposing the tracheal epithelium to nebulized hypertonic saline and nebulized mannitol for 1 min increased MTV without a subsequent increase in CBF. Conclusions This study demonstrates mucociliary transport can deteriorate within seconds of exposing the tracheal epithelium to flowing room air and increase rapidly when exposed to nebulized hypertonic solutions. The reduction in MTV precedes slowing of CBF with room air and MTV increases without a subsequent increase in CBF during the nebulization. Their relationship is non-linear and a minimum CBF of approximately 6 Hz is required for MTV > 0, while MTV can reach 10.9 mm/min without CBF increasing. Clinically these findings indicate a potential rapid detrimental effect of breathing with non-humidified air via bypassed upper airways and the short-term effects of nebulized osmotic agents that increase MTV.
first_indexed 2024-12-17T09:02:40Z
format Article
id doaj.art-5da9ae5e68a942cc996ff483b643b8a7
institution Directory Open Access Journal
issn 2197-425X
language English
last_indexed 2024-12-17T09:02:40Z
publishDate 2021-03-01
publisher SpringerOpen
record_format Article
series Intensive Care Medicine Experimental
spelling doaj.art-5da9ae5e68a942cc996ff483b643b8a72022-12-21T21:55:39ZengSpringerOpenIntensive Care Medicine Experimental2197-425X2021-03-019111410.1186/s40635-021-00374-yRapid changes in mucociliary transport in the tracheal epithelium caused by unconditioned room air or nebulized hypertonic saline and mannitol are not determined by frequency of beating ciliaSusyn Joan Kelly0Paul Martinsen1Stanislav Tatkov2Fisher & Paykel Healthcare LimitedBlue Leaf Software LimitedFisher & Paykel Healthcare LimitedAbstract Background Inspired air is heated and humidified in the nose before it reaches lower airways. This mechanism is bypassed during tracheostomy, directly exposing the airways to colder and drier air from the environment, known to negatively affect mucociliary transport; however, little is known about how quickly mucociliary transport deteriorates. This study determines the short-term effect of flowing room air and nebulized hypertonic saline and mannitol on mucociliary transport in the trachea. In an ovine perfused in vitro tracheal model (N = 9) the epithelium was exposed to 25 L/min of flow, heated to lamb body temperature (38 °C) and fully saturated with water vapor as the control, followed by either room air (22 °C and 50% relative humidity) or nebulized solutions of NaCl 7% and mannitol 20% up to 1 min for a short duration, until mucociliary transport had visually changed. Mucus transport velocity (MTV) and cilia beat frequency (CBF) were continuously measured with video-microscopy. Results Exposing the tracheal epithelium to air heated to body temperature and fully humidified had stable MTV 9.5 ± 1.1 mm/min and CBF 13.4 ± 0.6 Hz. When exposed to flow of room air, MTV slowed down to 0.1 ± 0.1 mm/min in 2.0 ± 0.4 s followed by a decrease in CBF to 6.7 ± 1.9 Hz, after 2.3 ± 0.8 s. Both MTV and CBF recovered to their initial state when heated and humidified air-flow was re-introduced. Exposing the tracheal epithelium to nebulized hypertonic saline and nebulized mannitol for 1 min increased MTV without a subsequent increase in CBF. Conclusions This study demonstrates mucociliary transport can deteriorate within seconds of exposing the tracheal epithelium to flowing room air and increase rapidly when exposed to nebulized hypertonic solutions. The reduction in MTV precedes slowing of CBF with room air and MTV increases without a subsequent increase in CBF during the nebulization. Their relationship is non-linear and a minimum CBF of approximately 6 Hz is required for MTV > 0, while MTV can reach 10.9 mm/min without CBF increasing. Clinically these findings indicate a potential rapid detrimental effect of breathing with non-humidified air via bypassed upper airways and the short-term effects of nebulized osmotic agents that increase MTV.https://doi.org/10.1186/s40635-021-00374-yMucociliary transportCiliaMucusVideo-microscopyAirway epitheliumHumidity
spellingShingle Susyn Joan Kelly
Paul Martinsen
Stanislav Tatkov
Rapid changes in mucociliary transport in the tracheal epithelium caused by unconditioned room air or nebulized hypertonic saline and mannitol are not determined by frequency of beating cilia
Intensive Care Medicine Experimental
Mucociliary transport
Cilia
Mucus
Video-microscopy
Airway epithelium
Humidity
title Rapid changes in mucociliary transport in the tracheal epithelium caused by unconditioned room air or nebulized hypertonic saline and mannitol are not determined by frequency of beating cilia
title_full Rapid changes in mucociliary transport in the tracheal epithelium caused by unconditioned room air or nebulized hypertonic saline and mannitol are not determined by frequency of beating cilia
title_fullStr Rapid changes in mucociliary transport in the tracheal epithelium caused by unconditioned room air or nebulized hypertonic saline and mannitol are not determined by frequency of beating cilia
title_full_unstemmed Rapid changes in mucociliary transport in the tracheal epithelium caused by unconditioned room air or nebulized hypertonic saline and mannitol are not determined by frequency of beating cilia
title_short Rapid changes in mucociliary transport in the tracheal epithelium caused by unconditioned room air or nebulized hypertonic saline and mannitol are not determined by frequency of beating cilia
title_sort rapid changes in mucociliary transport in the tracheal epithelium caused by unconditioned room air or nebulized hypertonic saline and mannitol are not determined by frequency of beating cilia
topic Mucociliary transport
Cilia
Mucus
Video-microscopy
Airway epithelium
Humidity
url https://doi.org/10.1186/s40635-021-00374-y
work_keys_str_mv AT susynjoankelly rapidchangesinmucociliarytransportinthetrachealepitheliumcausedbyunconditionedroomairornebulizedhypertonicsalineandmannitolarenotdeterminedbyfrequencyofbeatingcilia
AT paulmartinsen rapidchangesinmucociliarytransportinthetrachealepitheliumcausedbyunconditionedroomairornebulizedhypertonicsalineandmannitolarenotdeterminedbyfrequencyofbeatingcilia
AT stanislavtatkov rapidchangesinmucociliarytransportinthetrachealepitheliumcausedbyunconditionedroomairornebulizedhypertonicsalineandmannitolarenotdeterminedbyfrequencyofbeatingcilia