Effects of Muscarinic Antagonists on Experimental Nasal Secretion in Guinea Pigs

The effects of muscarinic antagonists on acetylcholine (ACh)- and histamine-induced nasal secretion were investigated in guinea pigs. Inhalations of flutropium (0.01 to 0.3%) and atropine (0.03 to 0.3%) into the nasal cavities dose-dependently inhibited the nasal secretion induced by ACh. The inhibitory action of flutropium was slightly stronger than that of atropine. Inhalations of pirenzepine (0.3%) and gallamine (0.3%) had no effect on the ACh-induced nasal secretion. However, 4-DAMP dose-dependently inhibited the nasal secretion induced by ACh. Inhalations of flutropium (0.3%) and diphenhydramine (0.3%) showed a similar inhibitory action on the histamine-induced nasal secretion. These results suggest that 1) inhalation into the nasal cavities of flutropium was effective in experimental model of ACh- and histamine-induced nasal secretion, 2) M3-cholinergic receptors may be dominant in the nasal secretion induced by ACh and 3) the experimental model of drug-induced nasal secretion in guinea pigs used in the present study can be employed to develop therapeutic drugs for nasal secretion.