Klaassen_1985_Rhinology_23_191

Contributions from various sources to the nasal fluid are a serious complicating factor for investigating the isolated role of the nasal glands in the production of this fluid. This study is an attempt to obtain a better insight in the secretory behaviour of the nasal glands and its neural regulation. Radioligand binding strongly suggests that rat nasal glands contain muscarinic receptors. Parasympathomimetic drugs mainly promote the discharge of the secretory proteins from the glandular cells. However, histological sections do not show any change in the number of secretory granules after parasympatholytic drug application. These observations refer to a complex nature of the parasympathetic regulation of the glandular secretory activity.