BACKGROUND: Nasal mucosa inflammation in response to surgical trauma is characterized by the development of alternative–dystrophic, vascular–exudative, and proliferative reactions. Immunohistochemical detection of Ki-67 protein expression is one of the most widely used methods for quantifying proliferative activity.
AIM: This study aimed to quantify the proliferative activity of epithelial cells after nasal cavity injury in an experiment under regenerative therapy.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: A preclinical randomized experimental study was conducted on 480 white male rats after experimental rhinitis modeling. The animals were divided into six groups depending on the prescribed regenerative therapy (0.25% solution of sodium deoxyribonucleate, dexpanthenol, and sodium hyaluronate).
RESULTS: After trauma induction, the specific weight of the proliferating epithelial cells in the mucous membrane of the nasal cavity increased from days 10 to 30 of observation. In groups that received reparants, the proliferative activity of cells increased from day 5 and persisted until days 42–60, the number of proliferating cells did not increase, and no carcinogenic effect was observed. Sodium deoxyribonucleate and dexpanthenol had a more pronounced proliferative effect.
CONCLUSIONS: The immunohistochemical determination of the proliferation marker of the nonhistone protein Ki-67, expressed in all cells during preparation and mitosis, appears relevant and allows its use as a universal marker of proliferating cells. Quantitative assessment of the changes in the proliferative activity of epithelial cells is relevant because it allows for the evaluation of the effectiveness and safety of regenerative therapy.