title: Round window membrane in young and aged C57BL/6 mice.
abstract: Although there have been many studies on the round window membrane (RWM), little information has been reported about changes in the membrane associated with aging. We have undertaken morphological studies of RWMs using young (7-8 weeks old) and aged (27-29 months old) C57BL/6 mice. The RWM was thinner in mice from the aged group compared with that of the young group. The cell density in the epithelial and inner layers was also reduced in the aged group. In the middle layer of the RWM in aged mice, transmission electron microscopy revealed many degenerated short and thick elastic fibers. Confocal laser microscopy using fluorescein isothiocyanate(FITC)-wheat germ agglutinin (WGA) staining was used to identify WGA-positive fibers in the middle layer of the RWM, which changed in a similar manner to the fibers in aging skin.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Nagoya University, Graduate School of Medicine, 65, Tsurumai-cho, Showa-ku, 466-8550, Nagoya, Japan. kitayoko@tsuru.med.nagoya-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Yoko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kitamura
authors.forename: Masa aki
authors.initials: Ma
authors.lastname: Teranishi
authors.forename: Michihiko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sone
authors.forename: Tsutomu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nakashima
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002452:Cell Count; D016057:Evoked Potentials, Auditory, Brain Stem; D016650:Fluorescein-5-isothiocyanate / Q000031:analogs & derivatives*; D008566:Membranes / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000166:cytology; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D018613:Microscopy, Confocal; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D012405:Round Window, Ear / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000166:cytology; D014909:Wheat Germ Agglutinins
chemical_list: D014909:Wheat Germ Agglutinins; C047939:fluorescein isothiocyanate-wheat germ agglutinin; D016650:Fluorescein-5-isothiocyanate