[Effect of ephedrine on nasal cavity mucosa and study on therapy of ATP to the effect].

Objective: To observe the effects of ephedrine on histomorphology and ultrastructure of nasal cavity mucosa from the healthy SD rats and explore the intervenient role of adenosine triphosphate(ATP).

Method: Twenty-three SD rats were divided randomly into three groups: Group A as control group; Group B for ephedrine; Group C for ephedrine and ATP (injection of ATP into peritoneal while ephedrine was given). Nasal cavity mucosa were taken for light microscopy (LM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) at the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 8th week of the experiment.

Result: The damages in Group B of nasal cavity mucosa of the 1st, 2nd, 3rd week was aggravated gradually, histomorphology and ultrastructure of nasal cavity mucosa had no recovered after withdrawing drug until 8th week. Few damages in Group C of nasal cavity mucosa had been found in 1st week and a few damages were found in 2nd and 3rd week. The injured cells recovered definitely after stopping ephedrine and continuous application of ATP for another 5 weeks.

Conclusion: The nasal cavity mucosa of SD rats can be damaged by ephedrine and the degree of damages of which becomes more serious with the increase of time. Furthermore the damages do not recover. ATP can alleviate the damages of nasal cavity mucosa from SD rats caused by ephedrine and prevent nasal cavity mucosa from the damages induced by ephedrine.