Mucociliary frequency of frog palate epithelium

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
The depleted frog palate epithelium is extensively used as a model for studying the transport velocity of mucus. The epithelium can apparently be depleted of endogenous gel mucus without affecting the ciliary frequency, provided the sol phase where the cilia beat remains present. To control the stability of the ciliary frequency during the measurement of mucous transport velocity, a photoelectric method was used for measuring mucociliary frequency and experiments were carried out in excised frog palates in different areas and at successive stages of depletion. From the distribution function of the mucociliary frequency obtained by the fast Fourier transform analysis, the mean frequency (.hivin.Fm) and the dispersion of the spectrum defined as spectrum width (Sw) were calculated. .hivin.Fm and Sw are similar in different areas throughout the zone selected for mucous transport velocity measurements. A significant decrease in .hivin.Fm (21%) and parallel increase in Sw (22.8%) are observed at the stage of depletion but the values return to normal when a drop of frog''s mucus is added. The depleted frog palate is apparently a good model for studying the in vitro transport rate of mucus and investigating the effects of mucus on ciliary frequency.