The effects of myrtol standardized on human ciliary beat frequency in vitro

Abstract

Purpose: Ciliary beat is a key determinant of mucociliary clearance meachanism, which maintains the respiratory health against inhaled pathogens and accumulating debris in the airways. Myrtol standardized, the active ingredient of Gelomyrtol Forte (GF), which is a phytomedicine claimed to exhibit seretomucolytic functions and anecdotally used to as treatment for COPD and sinusitis. Nonetheless, the effects of GF on ciliary beat have not been studied in a systematic manner. Methods: We have examined the effects of GF on the ciliary beat frequency (CBF) of human respiratory mucosa. The latter was obtained without anaesthetics from the inferior turbinate of 33 healthy subjects, and suspended in M199 which contained 0 and 250 ng/ml of GF.CBF for each GF concentration was examined using a phase contrast microscope and a photometric system linked to a digital converter as per standard established protocol in our laboratory at 0, 4 and 24 h. Results: Paired-sample t-test between 0hr and 4hr on all groups showed significant increase in CBF after incubation (0ng/ml GF, p=0.002 and 250ng/ml, p<0.001). There was a trend towards higher CBF after GF incubation at 4 hr. Also, CBF was significantly higher in samples which incubated with GF 250ng/ml than 0ng/ml (p<0.001). Conclusion: Our results suggest that GF could have a mucokinetic action.