RESUMO
BACKGROUND: The nasal mucosa is degenerated by inflammations, physical stimulations such as cessation of air flow, and other chemical stimulations. And it is regenerated regularly by newly differentiated cells. OBJECTIVES: In order to investigate the morphologic changes of the nasal mucosa and regenerating activities in sinusitis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The authors made animal models of acute maxillary sinusitis by obstructing the natural ostium of maxillary sinus of rabbit and inoculating Staphylococcus aureus colonies. Each contralateral side was used as control. The rabbits were sacrificed after 1, 2, and 3 weeks. Morphologic changes of the nasal mucosa and regenerating activities of the olfactory mucosa were observed with Hematoxylin-eosin staining and immunohistochemistry using BrdU. RESULTS: Purulent sinusitis was developed in all rabbits. Light microscopy showed that nasal mucosa revealed inflammatory changes such as edema, inflammatory cell infiltration, goblet cell metaplasia, polypoid change, epithelial ulceration, and submucosal connective tissue proliferation. BrdU-labelled cells were observed mainly in the basal cell layer of the olfactory mucosa, and their numbers in the control sides were significantly higher than in the experimental sides. CONCLUSION: These results indicate that acute infection of the maxillary sinus induces inflammatory changes of both respiratory and olfactory mucosa of the nose and decreases the regenerating activity of olfactory mucosa.