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This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Supplemental Figure All Versions of this Article: 297/6/L1073    most recent 00014.2009v1 Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Google Scholar Articles by Mucignat-Caretta, C. Articles by Barbato, A. PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Mucignat-Caretta, C. Articles by Barbato, A.

The olfactory system is affected by steroid aerosol treatment in mice

¹Department of Human Anatomy and Physiology, ; ²Department of Diagnostic Medical Sciences and Special Therapies, and ; ³Department of Pediatrics, University of Padova, Padova, Italy

Submitted 16 January 2009 ; accepted in final form 27 September 2009

Asthma needs continuous treatment often for years. In humans, some drugs are administered via aerosol, therefore they come in contact with both respiratory and olfactory mucosa. We explored the possibility that antiasthma corticosteroid treatment could influence the olfactory function by passage through the nose. A group of mice was exposed twice daily for 42 days to fluticasone propionate aerosol and was compared with a control group. Olfactory behavior, respiratory mechanics, histology, and immunoreactivity in the olfactory system were assessed. Fluticasone-treated mice were slower in retrieving a piece of hidden food, but both groups were similarly fast when the food was visible. When a clearly detectable odor was present in the environment, all mice behaved in a similar way. Respiratory mechanics indices were similar in all mice except for the viscose resistance, which was reduced in fluticasone-treated mice. Olfactory mucosa of fluticasone-treated mice was thicker than that of controls. Slight but consistent differences in staining were present for Olfactory Marker Protein but not for other proteins. A mild impairment of olfactory function is present in mice chronically treated with fluticasone aerosol, apparently accompanied by slight modifications of the olfactory receptor cells, and suggests monitoring of olfactory function modifications in long-term steroid users.

corticosteroid; behavior