Introduction:
With a 12 month prevalence of 0,8%, cocaine is the second most commonly used illegal
drug in Germany after cannabis. In 4,8% of cocaine users, nasal application leads
to local damage including hyposmia, crusting, ulcers, nasal septal perforation and
bone erosion. Locally, vasoconstriction, as well as mechanical and chemical trauma
play a role by promoting bacterial infection and necrosis. Other systemic factors
like osteoblast inhibition, immunosuppression and auto-antibody formation are suspected.
By influencing ciliary function, local harmful factors could be potentiated.
Methods:
Samples of nasal epithelial cells were collected from 21 healthy subjects via brush
cytology and transferred into cell culture solutions containing cocaine hydrochloride
with a concentration of 0,875%, 1,75%, 3,5% and 7%. A solution with Ringer's lactate
solution served as negative control.
Epithelial cells were visualized via inverted phase contrast microscopy and ciliary
beat frequency (CBF) was measured every minute by analyzing high speed videos over
a time period of 15 min at 22 °C.
Results:
CBF was significantly reduced by exposure to cocaine hydrochloride compared to the
control group in all tested concentrations. This reduction was time- and concentration
dependent, for example CBF at a concentration of 1,75% fell from 7,3 ± 1,7 Hz to 2,84
± 1,87 Hz after 15 minutes.
Conclusions:
A significant reduction of CBF of healthy nasal mucosa was shown by exposing them
to cocaine hydrochloride. This may, besides other factors, explain the pathological
effect of cocaine on nasal mucosa.
