Abstract
Effects of macrolide antibiotics (roxithromycin and erythromycin) on ciliary and secretory functions were studied using the measurement of cultured ciliated epithelial cells from humannasal polyps and lectin staining of nasal mucosa of sinusitis patients. We measured the ciliary beat frequency using a high speed video system. Both erythromycin and roxithromycin solution in each concentration from 10-7 to 10-5M had no effect on ciliary beat frequency for 20 min. Lectin staining study has revealed that subepithelial glands of nasal mucosa from chronic sinusitis patients contain abnormal glycoconjugates that lost sialic acid and fucose residues and that the macrolide antibiotics treatment increase the glycoconjugate containing sialic acid and fucose residues. These results suggest that macrolide antibiotics can normalize the sugar structure of mucin type glycoprotein of secretory glands.
