Objective: To determine the molecular mechanisms of hypertonic saline on nasal disorders.
Methods: Primary human nasal epithelial cells (HNECs) were treated with 0.9 and 3% saline for 12h. CLC-3 was detected in HNECs by immunohistochemistry, reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and western blotting.
Results: Positive expression of CLC-3 was detected in HNECs in all subjects by immunohistochemistry. The relative density of CLC-3 mRNA was 0.22+/-0.09 and 0.12+/-0.05 in HNECs treated with 3 and 0.9% saline, respectively. The effect of 3% saline on the expression of CLC-3 in HNECs was observed in a time-dependent manner.
Conclusions: Hypertonic saline decreases the nasal edema and influences the mucocilliary function through the fluid secretion in vitro and may be associated with the upregulation of CLC-3.