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Oral Theophylline Improves Smell Function By Increasing Nasal Mucus Sonic Hedgehog (Shh)
Author(s) -
Henkin Robert,
Hosein Suzanna,
Stateman William,
Knoppel Alexandra
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.29.1_supplement.840.6
Subject(s) - mucus , hyposmia , medicine , nose , endocrinology , surgery , biology , ecology , disease , covid-19 , infectious disease (medical specialty)
We previously demonstrated that sonic hedgehog (Shh) is present in nasal mucus in both normal subjects and in patients with smell loss (hyposmia) of multiple etiologies. Shh levels in nasal mucus were significantly lower than normal in hyposmic patients. We treated 44 hyposmic patients of multiple etiologies with oral theophylline 200‐800 mg daily for 2‐10 months to evaluate changes in olfactory function and in Shh levels in nasal mucus. We now demonstrate details of measurements in smell function and in nasal mucus Shh levels before and after oral theophylline treatment in these patients. Patients were evaluated by subjective measurements of smell, taste and flavor perception, by olfactometry for changes in their hyposmia and by measurements of nasal mucus Shh. Olfactometry was performed by measurements of detection and recognition thresholds (DT, RT) and magnitude estimation (ME) to four odors (pyridine, nitrobenzene, thiophene and amyl acetate) using a forced choice, three stimuli staircase procedure. Nasal mucus Shh was measured by a sensitive spectrophotometric ELISA assay. After theophylline treatment there was a consistent, significant improvement in subjective smell, taste and flavor perception and in olfactometry in which significant decreases in DT and RT (increased sensitivity) and increases in ME (increased sensitivity) for the administered odor occurred. These changes were associated with significant increases in nasal mucus Shh. There was a correlated dose‐response relationship between increased nasal mucus Shh and improvement in both subjective and olfactometry measurements in smell function with theophylline treatment.