Published online by Cambridge University Press: 12 October 2015
This study aimed to assess the histopathological effect of OK-432 (Picibanil) on rabbit nasal turbinates.
A total of 21 rabbits were divided into 3 treatment groups and various parts of both nasal turbinates were injected with 0.5 ml OK-432, 0.2 ml OK-432 or 0.6 ml saline (control). Bilateral nasal turbinates were later excised and studied under light microscopy to assess any histopathological changes.
Animals in the 0.2 ml and 0.5 ml OK-432 groups exhibited mild ciliary loss, goblet cell loss and epithelial damage, and a marked increase in inflammatory cell infiltration, submucosal vascularisation and fibrosis. There was a significant difference in histopathological changes between the two OK-432 treated groups. In addition, each OK-432 treated group had significantly more inflammatory cell infiltration, increased submucosal vascularisation and fibrosis compared with controls.
The marked fibrosis observed in OK-432-injected turbinates may be responsible for a reduction in turbinate size.
Presented as an oral poster at the 36th Turkish National Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery Congress, 5–9 November, 2014. Antalya, Turkey