Total Protein Concentration in Selectively Collected Secretions from the Middle and Inferior Meatus of the Nose

Abstract

To clarify the characteristics of nasal secretions, a method for collecting human nasal secretion was devised. Total protein concentration in selectively collected secretions from the nasal cavity was determined using biochemical techniques. Dry absorbent cotton was inserted in each middle and inferior meatus of the nasal cavity for 30 min, and put in a test tube with a plastic sieve for centrifugation. After centrifugation at 5,000 rpm for 20 min, 10 microliters were obtained to measure the protein concentration the nasal secretions was made using spectrophotometry. The amount of nasal secretion samples collected was 50 to 400 microliters per site. Nasal secretions collected from the right middle and inferior meatus contained 80 to 2,450 mg/dl and 260 to 3,270 mg/dl of protein, respectively, while those from the left middle and inferior meatus contained 80 to 2,200 mg/dl and 175 to 3,050 mg/dl, respectively. It was concluded that this new method was clinically useful for collecting nasal secretions, and it permitted selective collection from predetermined sites in the nasal cavity. The total protein concentration level of nasal secretions collected by this method was higher in the inferior meatus than in the middle meatus of the nose, with statistical significance.