Although recently there have been an increasing number of reports of chronic sinusitis acompanied with a high level of eosinophils, there is little evidence that eosinophils influence epithelial cells in the paranasal sinus. In this study, we focused on the difference in infiltration cells, especially eosinophil infiltration, on the ciliary beat frequency (CBF) of cultured human sinus epithelial cells. Sinus mucosal explants were successfully cultured on poly-L-lysine coated dishes with an abundant outgrowth of ciliated cells. CBF measurement was carried out by photoelectric method at specific predetermined sites on 7 to 10 day cultured specimens. In this study, CBF in eosinophil infiltration (more than 51 cells/ 100 pmt) was significantly higher (p < 0.05) than CBF in eosinophil infiltration (less than 50 cells/100 pm2). On the other hand, CBF was not significantly different among the groups of mononuclear cell infiltration (more than 51 cells/100 pmt and less than 50 cells/100 pm2). Moreover, CBF in less than 0.3 (eosinophils/mononuclear cells) was significantly higher (p <0.05) than CBF in more than 0.3 (eosinophils/mononuclear cells). Thus we suggest that eosinophil infiltration in human sinus mucosa is influenced by the level of CBF.
