The Mucociliary Activity of the Respiratory Tract

Abstract

The movements of cilia in tracheal and sinus mucosa were recorded photoelectrically. the following results were achieved. In vitro activity (1) ceased rapidly in an anoxic environment and swelling and deformations of cilia were seen (SEM), (2) was normal in rabbit tracheae in pO₂∼20 kPa but impaired in pO₂∼10 kPa and less, and (3) was normal on rabbit sinus mucosa in pO₂∼1 kPa. In vivo activity in the opened maxillary sinus of anesthetized rabbits was (1) resistant to low pO₂ as well as high pCO₂ in ambient atmosphere (2) resistant to low pO₂ and high pCO₂ of arterial blood but (3) retarded (luring simultaneous low pO₂ and high pCO₂ in ambient atmosphere and arterial blood.