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]