Cilia play an important role in the airway defense mechanism. So far, studies on ciliary function have mainly been based on in vitro methods. Images of in vivo ciliary motion are very difficult to capture. In this study, we describe a novel approach to observe and analyze nasal ciliary motion in living animals with comparison to in vitro observation. Such images of ciliary motion from living animals have not been reported to date. The result of the study indicates that in vivo ciliary physiological function differs from ex vivo and in vitro conditions in many ways, such as the stability over time and response to temperature variation. This is a good foundation for further in vivo analysis of airway ciliary physiological function in animals as well as humans.
Keywords: Cilia; ciliary beat amplitude; ciliary beat frequency; in vivo; nasal mucosa; temperature.