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Morphological characterization of mast cells in the cochlea during postnatal rodent development
Author(s) -
Smorodchenko Alina,
Dudnik Tatyana,
Karayay Betül,
Sergeeva Valentina,
Olze Heidi,
Szczepek Agnieszka
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.2021.35.s1.00414
Mast cells (MC) are immune cells of hematopoietic origin widely distributed in the mammalian body's connective tissue. Their activity plays a potential immunoregulatory role associated with allergic reactions, autoimmune, cardiovascular, and neuronal diseases. Previously, the inner ear‐related MCs were described in the endolymphatic sac. However, the presence of MCs in the mammalian cochlea was not yet investigated. Here, we demonstrate for the first time that the MCs are present in the healthy cochlea of C57BL/6 mice and Wistar rats. Using histochemistry and immunohistochemistry on the cryo‐/paraffine sections of the whole cochlea and cochlea explants, we detected MCs in the modiolus, spiral ligament, scala vestibuli, and occasionally in scala tympani. The identified MCs expressed various MC‐specific markers: cKit/CD117, chymase, tryptase, and FcϵRIa. Quantitative analysis demonstrated a significant decrease in the number of MCs during the postnatal development, resulting in only a few MCs present in the cochlea of rats and mice. In addition, 24h incubation of the cochlear explant with 40 µM of cisplatin lead to a significant reduction of MC numbers. The presence of MCs in the cochlea may shed new light on postnatal maturation of the auditory periphery and possible involvement in cisplatin ototoxicity. Currently, our findings expand the knowledge about the physiology and pathology of the auditory periphery. Considering the pivotal role of MCs in inflammation, future functional studies should explain this new basic knowledge and translate it into clinical application.