Abstract
Previous studies on the effect of various mucolytic drugs on the tracheal epithelium ultrastructure revealed ambroxol as the most harmful one. To complete these studies, we decided to evaluate the effect of ambroxol on the glycoconjugate content in the secretion of tracheal goblet cells.
Using the methods of both conventional and lectin histochemistry, the percentage of tracheal goblet cells containing various glycoconjugates was evaluated. Twenty minutes after oral administration of 7.5 mg of ambroxol, goblet cells containing neutral glycoconjugates disappeared from the rabbit tracheal epithelium.
Among goblet cells containing acidic glycoconjugates, the percentage of sialylated glycoconjugate-containing ones slightly decreased compared with control healthy rabbits. Oral administration of ambroxol only slightly affected the composition of glycoconjugates contained in goblet cells of the tracheal epithelium in rabbits.