Survival of Neural Stem Cells in the Cochlea

• Published in: Acta oto-laryngologica Vol. 121; no. 2; pp. 140 - 142
• Main Author: Juichi Ito, Ken Kojima, Saburo Kawaguchi
• Format: Journal Article Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: Stockholm Informa UK Ltd 2001; Taylor & Francis; Taylor and Francis
• Subjects: Animals; Animals, Newborn; Biological and medical sciences; Cell Movement - physiology; Cell Survival - physiology; Cochlea - pathology; Ear, auditive nerve, cochleovestibular tract, facial nerve: diseases, semeiology; Female; Head and neck surgery. Maxillofacial surgery. Dental surgery. Orthodontics; Hippocampus - cytology; Medical sciences; Microscopy, Fluorescence; Neural Stem Cell Transplantation Hair Cell; Neurons - pathology; Neurons - transplantation; Non tumoral diseases; Otorhinolaryngology. Stomatology; Rats; Rats, Inbred F344; Stem Cell Transplantation; Stem Cells - pathology; Surgery (general aspects). Transplantations, organ and tissue grafts. Graft diseases; Surgery of the ear, the auditive nerve and the facial nerve; Prognosis; Rat; Rodentia; Auditory disorder; Experimental study; Survival; Vertebrata; Mammalia; Treatment; Surgery; Newborn animal; Cochlea; ENT disease; Graft; Perception hearing loss; Cell; Hippocampus
• DOI: 10.1080/000164801300043226
• ISSN: 0001-6489

Adult rat hippocampus-derived neural stem cells (NSCs) have been reported to have been successfully grafted in several brain regions. To evaluate the possibility of treatment of sensorineural hearing loss using NSCs, survival of NSCs in the cochlea was estimated. NSCs were grafted into newborn rat cochleas. Within 2-4 weeks of grafting to the cochlea, some NSCs survived in the cochlear cavity. Some of them had adopted the morphologies and positions of hair cells. This suggests that NSCs can adapt to the environment of the cochlea and gives hope for treatment of the damaged cochlea and sensorineural hearing loss.