Fig. 4

DEX-Gel alleviates the edema of the turbinate mucosa and inhibits differentiated inflammatory cells in NALF. A Representative endoscopic images of the rat nasal cavity. Arrows point to meatus nasi communis (nasal passages for breathing). ST: superior turbinate; IT: inferior turbinate; S: septum. B The edema score of rats (n = 5). C The mRNA expression of AQP5 (n = 5). D Correlation analysis between edema score and expression of AQP5 mRNA (n = 30). E Representative Diff quick stained images of the NALF. Black arrows, red arrows, yellow arrows, green arrows, blue arrows and purple arrows represent epithelial cells, macrophages, eosinophils, neutrophils, lymphocytes and mast cells, respectively. Scale bars = 100 µm. Data are expressed as mean ± SD. *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01 and ***P < 0.001, significantly different from the ANOVA group