The Allergic Diseases Section began studying nasal provocation testing in 1982 when Dr. Howard Druce joined the section. Over the next 3 years, the laboratory focused on studies of nasal physiology with the plan to eventually study the allergic response in the nose. Dr. Robert Bonner developed the technique of laser- Doppler velocimetry (LDV) and, with Dr. Druce, adapted this technology to the study of nasal mucosal physiology. Using parameters including blood volume, blood flow, and pulsatility, baseline LDV measurements were recorded after saline nasal provocation, and then after provocation with methacholine, histamine, atropine, lidocaine, phenylephrine, and oxymetazoline. Nasal lavages were collected after nasal provocation, and these samples were assayed for total protein and albumin as a crude estimate of nasal secretion, histamine, and IgA. Methacholine was found to stimulate protein secretion without a relative increase in albumin, indicating selective glandular secretion. Histamine stimulated a selective albumin secretion (indicating increased vascular permeability) at low doses and both glandular secretion and vascular permeability at high doses. Atropine prevented methacholine effects and reduced histamine induced glandular secretion. Therefore, we can analyze the components of nasal protein secretion and determine their source. Hot, spicy foods may cause rhinorrhea in sensitive subjects. This gustatory rhinitis was found to involve an atropine-inhibitable muscarinic pathway.
