Transfer of tritiated water, tyrosine, and propanol from the nasal cavity to cranial arterial blood in rats

Respiration cools the nasal vein blood. This may, via counter current trans fer in the cavernous sinus/carotid artery complex, cool the brain arterial blood and, therefore, decrease the brain temperature during heat stress. We investigated the possible local transfer of substances from the nasal cavi ties to the brain via a similar transfer between nasal venous blood and bra in arterial blood. Tritiated water (TW). H-3-tyrosine (T) and C-14-Dropanol (P) were infused into the nasal cavity of anesthetized rats that had two c atheters inserted into the same, occluded carotid artery, one pointing towa rds the head, the other towards the heart. Continuous, parallel blood sampl es were collected throughout 30-s periods for 10 min, and the radioactivity measured in the separated plasma. After nasal application of TW, the radio activity increased in the head arterial plasma samples compared with the pa rallel heart samples. When recirculation to the general circulation was dim inished, a larger and significant difference was found for all three substa nces during the last 5 min of the collection period. No difference between the parallel samples was observed after intravenous administration of the t hree substances. Absorption of all three substances from the nasal cavity w as rapid and high. The results indicate that local transfer takes place bet ween the venous and arterial blood in the head, probably in the area of the cavernous sinus-carotid artery complex, which in rat and man lacks a Rete Mirabile. The local transfer raises the possibility of treating brain disea ses in man locally through nasal application of drugs.