Definition and research guide
This page combines a MeSH definition, publication statistics and selected research abstracts. It is a starting point for reading the literature, not a medical textbook or a systematic evidence review.
Content available: 4 complete abstracts (706 words), 10 references. Full article text is not stored or reproduced here; follow the PMID, DOI or PMC links to read the original sources and their access terms.
Definition
The proximal portion of the respiratory passages on either side of the nasal septum. Nasal cavities, extending from the nares to the nasopharynx, are lined with ciliated nasal mucosa.
Definition: NLM Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) scope note (Public domain (U.S. National Library of Medicine); attribution requested). View the MeSH record.
Also known as: Cavities, Nasal; Cavity, Nasal; Nasal Cavities.
Where it fits in the MeSH classification
- Broader topics
- Nose
Related concepts
Research landscape
PubMed indexes 13,404 records tagged with the MeSH heading “Nasal Cavity” (counts retrieved 2026-10-31). 1,844 of them (13.8%) were published from 2020 onward, and the busiest period so far is through 1999 with 4,296 records.
Reviews account for 1,152 records (8.6%) and meta-analyses for 63. Randomized controlled trials number 376 (2.8%) as a share of all records on the topic.
Show the data
| Period | Records |
|---|---|
| through 1999 | 4,296 |
| 2000-2009 | 3,137 |
| 2010-2019 | 4,127 |
| 2020 onward | 1,844 |
Publication-type chart data
| Type | Records | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Reviews | 1,152 | 8.6% |
| Meta-analyses | 63 | 0.5% |
| Randomized controlled trials | 376 | 2.8% |
Method: PubMed query "Nasal Cavity"[MeSH Terms] with publication-type and date filters, retrieved 2026-10-31.
Reading the evidence in anatomy and physiology
Anatomy describes how body structures are built and physiology describes how they normally work, so most findings here are descriptive or mechanistic rather than evidence about treatment. Much of what is known comes from dissection, imaging, tissue studies and experiments in animals, and measurements in healthy volunteers can differ from those in people with disease or at different ages. Normal ranges vary between individuals and populations. Check whether a result was measured in people or in another species, the age and health of the participants, and the method used.
Evidence from open-access studies
These open-access studies come from PubMed’s best-match results for this heading (papers whose main topic it is), ranked here by citation count, with one recent addition. Each abstract is reproduced in full under its recorded open licence so that you can read the authors’ own words. They illustrate the literature; they are not a systematic summary of it. Citation counts measure attention, not reliability or clinical benefit.
| Study / authors | Year | Source label / design | Europe PMC citations | Licence / source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| An alternative pathway of enteric PEDV dissemination from nasal cavity to intestinal mucosa in swine | 2018 | Research article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 146 | cc by PMID 30232333 · DOI · PMC6145876 |
| The effect of cigarette smoking on the oral and nasal microbiota | 2017 | Research article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 135 | cc by PMID 28095925 · DOI · PMC5240432 |
| Olfactory Cleft Measurements and COVID-19-Related Anosmia | 2021 | Research article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 44 | cc by PMID 33045908 · DOI · PMC7554408 |
| Nasal Staphylococcus aureus carriage promotes depressive behaviour in mice via sex hormone degradation | 2025 | Research article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 13 | cc by PMID 40983700 · DOI · PMC12488488 |
An alternative pathway of enteric PEDV dissemination from nasal cavity to intestinal mucosa in swine [1]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) has catastrophic impacts on the global pig industry.
- Closing excerpt
- Our study provides evidence for airborne transmission of a gastrointestinal infected coronavirus and illustrates the mechanism of its transport from the entry site to the pathogenic site.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (123 words)
Porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) has catastrophic impacts on the global pig industry. Although the fecal-oral route is generally accepted, an increased number of reports indicate that airborne transmission may contribute to PEDV outbreak. Here, we show that PEDV could cause typical diarrhea in piglets through a nasal spray. Firstly, PEDV can develop a transient nasal epithelium infection. Subsequently, PEDV-carrying dendritic cells (DCs) allow the virus to be transferred to CD3+ T cells via the virological synapse. Finally, virus-loaded CD3+ T cells reach the intestine through the blood circulation, leading to intestinal infection via cell-to-cell contact. Our study provides evidence for airborne transmission of a gastrointestinal infected coronavirus and illustrates the mechanism of its transport from the entry site to the pathogenic site.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 30232333 · DOI · PMC6145876
The effect of cigarette smoking on the oral and nasal microbiota [2]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- BackgroundThe goal of the study was to investigate whether cigarette smoking alters oral and nasal microbial diversity, composition, and structure.
- Closing excerpt
- The marked heterogeneity of the oral microbial ecosystem that we found may contribute to the stability of the oral microbiota in most sites when facing environmental perturbations such as that caused by cigarette smoking.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (168 words)
BackgroundThe goal of the study was to investigate whether cigarette smoking alters oral and nasal microbial diversity, composition, and structure. Twenty-three current smokers and 20 never smokers were recruited. From each subject, nine samples including supra and subgingiva plaque scrapes, saliva, swabs from five soft oral tissue sites, and one nasal swab from both the anterior nares were collected. 16S rRNA V3-V4 region was sequenced for microbial profiles.ResultsWe found that alpha diversity was lower in smokers than in nonsmokers in the buccal mucosa, but in other sample sites, microbial diversity and composition were not significantly different by smoking status. Microbial profiles differed significantly among eight oral sites.ConclusionsThis study investigates the effect of cigarette smoking on different sites of the oral cavity and shows a potential effect of cigarette smoking on the buccal mucosa microbiota. The marked heterogeneity of the oral microbial ecosystem that we found may contribute to the stability of the oral microbiota in most sites when facing environmental perturbations such as that caused by cigarette smoking.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 28095925 · DOI · PMC5240432
Olfactory Cleft Measurements and COVID-19-Related Anosmia [3]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- ObjectiveThis study aimed to investigate the differences in olfactory cleft (OC) morphology in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) anosmia compared to control subjects and postviral anosmia related to infection other than severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).
- Closing excerpt
- Level of evidenceLevel 4.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (260 words)
ObjectiveThis study aimed to investigate the differences in olfactory cleft (OC) morphology in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) anosmia compared to control subjects and postviral anosmia related to infection other than severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).Study designProspective.SettingThis study comprises 91 cases, including 24 cases with anosmia due to SARS-CoV-2, 38 patients with olfactory dysfunction (OD) due to viral infection other than SARS-CoV-2, and a control group of 29 normosmic cases.MethodsAll cases had paranasal sinus computed tomography (CT), and cases with OD had magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) dedicated to the olfactory nerve. The OC width and volumes were measured on CT, and T2-weighted signal intensity (SI), olfactory bulb volumes, and olfactory sulcus depths were assessed on MRI.ResultsThis study showed 3 major findings: the right and left OC widths were significantly wider in anosmic patients due to SARS-CoV-2 (group 1) or OD due to non-SARS-CoV-2 viral infection (group 2) when compared to healthy controls. OC volumes were significantly higher in group 1 or 2 than in healthy controls, and T2 SI of OC area was higher in groups 1 and 2 than in healthy controls. There was no significant difference in olfactory bulb volumes and olfactory sulcus depths on MRI among groups 1 and 2.ConclusionIn this study, patients with COVID-19 anosmia had higher OC widths and volumes compared to control subjects. In addition, there was higher T2 SI of the olfactory bulb in COVID-19 anosmia compared to control subjects, suggesting underlying inflammatory changes. There was a significant negative correlation between these morphological findings and threshold discrimination identification scores.Level of evidenceLevel 4.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 33045908 · DOI · PMC7554408
Nasal Staphylococcus aureus carriage promotes depressive behaviour in mice via sex hormone degradation [4]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- The human microbiome has a pronounced impact on human physiology and behaviour.
- Closing excerpt
- These findings reveal a nasal commensal that influences depressive behaviour and provides insights into the nose-brain axis.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (155 words)
The human microbiome has a pronounced impact on human physiology and behaviour. Despite its unique anatomical connection to the brain, the role of the nasal microbiome in neurological diseases is understudied. Here, using human data and experiments in mice, we show that nasal Staphylococcus aureus is linked to depression. Nasal microbiome analyses revealed a positive correlation between depression scores and S. aureus abundance among patients with depression and healthy controls. Metabolomics of the nasal cavity showed decreased sex hormones, estradiol and testosterone in patients with depression versus controls. Nasal microbiota transplants from patients reproduced depression-like behaviour in mice with differential abundance of S. aureus. Further homology and mutational analysis uncovered an S. aureus sex hormone-degrading enzyme, 17b-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (Hsd12), which degraded testosterone and estradiol in mice, leading to lower levels of dopamine and serotonin in the murine brain. These findings reveal a nasal commensal that influences depressive behaviour and provides insights into the nose-brain axis.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 40983700 · DOI · PMC12488488
Key reviews and meta-analyses
The most cited review-type papers among PubMed’s best-match results for this heading, listed with bibliographic details only. Follow the links for the full text and access terms.
- Research article Nasal drug delivery--possibilities, problems and solutions [5]
- Research article Evaluation of intranasal delivery route of drug administration for brain targeting [6]
- Research article Esthesioneuroblastoma: a meta-analysis and review [7]
- Research article The risk of infection after nasal colonization with Staphylococcus aureus [8]
- Research article Anatomical and histological factors affecting intranasal drug and vaccine delivery [9]
- Research article Olfactory neuroblastoma [10]
References
- Li Y, Wu Q, Huang L, Yuan C, Wang J, Yang Q. An alternative pathway of enteric PEDV dissemination from nasal cavity to intestinal mucosa in swine. . 2018. PMID 30232333 · DOI · PMC6145876
- Yu G, Phillips S, Gail MH, Goedert JJ, Humphrys MS, Ravel J, et al.. The effect of cigarette smoking on the oral and nasal microbiota. . 2017. PMID 28095925 · DOI · PMC5240432
- Altundag A, Yıldırım D, Tekcan Sanli DE, Cayonu M, Kandemirli SG, Sanli AN, et al.. Olfactory Cleft Measurements and COVID-19-Related Anosmia. . 2021. PMID 33045908 · DOI · PMC7554408
- Xiang G, Wang Y, Ni K, Luo H, Liu Q, Song Y, et al.. Nasal Staphylococcus aureus carriage promotes depressive behaviour in mice via sex hormone degradation. . 2025. PMID 40983700 · DOI · PMC12488488
- Illum L. Nasal drug delivery--possibilities, problems and solutions. J Control Release. 2003. PMID 12618035 · DOI
- Erdő F, Bors LA, Farkas D, Bajza Á, Gizurarson S. Evaluation of intranasal delivery route of drug administration for brain targeting. Brain Res Bull. 2018. PMID 30449731 · DOI
- Dulguerov P, Allal AS, Calcaterra TC. Esthesioneuroblastoma: a meta-analysis and review. Lancet Oncol. 2001. PMID 11902539 · DOI
- Safdar N, Bradley EA. The risk of infection after nasal colonization with Staphylococcus aureus. Am J Med. 2008. PMID 18374690 · DOI
- Gizurarson S. Anatomical and histological factors affecting intranasal drug and vaccine delivery. Curr Drug Deliv. 2012. PMID 22788696 · DOI · PMC3480721
- Thompson LD. Olfactory neuroblastoma. Head Neck Pathol. 2009. PMID 20596981 · DOI · PMC2811627
About this article
- Sources
- NLM Medical Subject Headings (definition, synonyms); NCBI PubMed (counts, identifiers); Europe PMC (open-access abstracts and citation counts).
- Verification
- Every reference was resolved against PubMed on 2026-10-31; title, year and DOI matched.
- Review state
- automated source verified; no human expert review has been recorded yet.
- Version
- 1, last updated 2026-10-31.
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Evidence strength
EvidenceHelix's computed view of the study designs behind this topic: how common meta-analyses, randomized trials and reviews are, how recent the literature is, and a plain-language reading. It describes the design mix of the literature. It is not a quality appraisal of any study, and it is not medical advice.