[Experimental study on embryonic neural stem cells transplantation into natural rat cochlea via round window].
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the survival of neural stem cell (NSC) infected by recombinant adenovirus with GFP (Ad-GFP) and the expression of GFP in normal rat cochlea and their potential effect on auditory function and cochlea structures via round window transplantation.


METHODS
In comparison with the normal rats without any transplantation (Group III), normal rat cochleae were transplanted with NSC infected with Ad-GFP (Group I) or the artificial perilymph (Group II) via round windows. Auditory functions were monitored by thresholds of auditory brain stem responses (ABR); the cochlea structures were examined by HE staining; survivals of implanted NSC were determined by the expression of GFP; survivals of hair cells were accessed by whole mount preparation.


RESULTS
Neither at pre-transplantation nor at post-transplantation, there were significant differences in the click-ABR thresholds in rats between Group I and Group II (P > 0.05). There were no significant differences in these values before and after transplantation in the same rats from each group. After transplantation, the cochlea structures were normal in both Group I & Group II. Grafted NSC was visualized by the GFP expression in every turn of the cochlea in all animals of Group I. There were no significant differences in the loss of outer hair cell (OHC) among three groups. The inner hair cell (IHC) and most OHC were normal in every turns of cochleae of all groups.


CONCLUSIONS
The embryonic NSC infected with Ad-GFP could survive and express the GFP gene in normal rat cochlea after transplantation via round window, which had not obvious affection to auditory function and inner ear pathology of rat cochlea.
Fu
Yong
Y
Department of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Union Hospital of Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430022, China.
Wang
Shen-qing
SQ
Wang
Jian-ting
JT
Wang
Guo-peng
GP
Xie
Jing
J
Gong
Shu-sheng
SS
D000256:Adenoviridae / Q000235:genetics; D000818:Animals; D001309:Auditory Threshold; D003051:Cochlea / Q000601:surgery; D053595:Embryonic Stem Cells / Q000637:transplantation*; D016057:Evoked Potentials, Auditory, Brain Stem; D018014:Gene Transfer Techniques; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D058953:Neural Stem Cells / Q000637:transplantation*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012405:Round Window, Ear / Q000601:surgery; D033581:Stem Cell Transplantation / Q000379:methods*
D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins