Abstract on why and how it can worsen the situation:

>Chest. 2009 Jan;135(1):143-8.
>Vicks VapoRub induces mucin secretion, decreases ciliary beat
>frequency, and increases tracheal mucus transport in the ferret
>trachea.
>Abanses JC, Arima S, Rubin BK.
>Department of Pediatrics, Wake Forest University School of Medicine,
>Winston-Salem, NC 27157-1081, USA.
>Comment in:
>Chest. 2009 Aug;136(2):650; author reply 650-1.
>BACKGROUND: Vicks VapoRub (VVR) [Proctor and Gamble; Cincinnati, OH]
>is often used to relieve symptoms of chest congestion. We cared for a
>toddler in whom severe respiratory distress developed after VVR was
>applied directly under her nose. We hypothesized that VVR induced
>inflammation and adversely affected mucociliary function, and tested
>this hypothesis in an animal model of airway inflammation.
>METHODS: [1] Trachea specimens excised from 15 healthy ferrets were
>incubated in culture plates lined with 200 mg of VVR, and the mucin
>secretion was compared to those from controls without VVR. Tracheal
>mucociliary transport velocity (MCTV) was measured by timing the
>movement of 4 microL of mucus across the trachea. Ciliary beat
>frequency (CBF) was measured using video microscopy. [2] Anesthetized
>and intubated ferrets inhaled a placebo or VVR that was placed at
>the proximal end of the endotracheal tube. We evaluated both healthy
>ferrets and animals in which we first induced tracheal inflammation
>with bacterial endotoxin (a lipopolysaccharide [LPS]). Mucin secretion
>was measured using an enzyme-linked lectin assay, and lung water was
>measured by wet/dry weight ratios.
>RESULTS: [1] Mucin secretion was increased by 63% over the controls in
>the VVR in vitro group (p < 0.01). CBF was decreased by 35% (p < 0.05)
>in the VVR group. [2] Neither LPS nor VVR increased lung water, but
>LPS decreased MCTV in both normal airways (31%) and VVR-exposed
>airways (30%; p = 0.03), and VVR increased MCTV by 34% in LPS-inflamed
>airways (p = 0.002).
>CONCLUSIONS: VVR stimulates mucin secretion and MCTV in the
>LPS-inflamed ferret airway. This set of findings is similar to the
>acute inflammatory stimulation observed with exposure to irritants,
>and may lead to mucus obstruction of small airways and increased
>nasal resistance.
>PMID: 19136404 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Sukie (not a vet)

Recommended ferret health links:
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/ferrethealth/
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/
http://www.afip.org/ferrets/index.html
http://www.miamiferret.org/
http://www.ferrethealth.msu.edu/
http://www.ferretcongress.org/
http://www.trifl.org/index.shtml
http://homepage.mac.com/sukie/sukiesferretlinks.html
all ferret topics:
http://listserv.ferretmailinglist.org/archives/ferret-search.html

[Posted in FML 6506]