Surgical techniques for cell transplantation into the mouse cochlea

This study investigated surgical procedures for cell transplantation into the mouse inner ear. Female C57BL/6 mice were used as recipient animals. Fetal mouse neural stem cells expressing green fluorescence were used as donor cells. Two methods, an injection of transplants from the lateral semicircular canal (LSCC) and from the cochlear lateral wall (CLW), were examined. Two weeks after transplantation, the distribution of transplant-derived cells in the cochlea was examined. Effects on auditory function were assessed by measurement of auditory brain stem responses (ABRs). Cochleae receiving cell transplantation from the LSCC exhibited robust survival of transplant-derived cells mainly in the scala vestibuli and scala tympani. Transplantation from the LSCC caused elevation of ABR thresholds by less than 10 dB SPL. However, transplantation from the CLW resulted in considerable hearing loss, even though transplant-derived cells settled in the scala media. These findings demonstrate that an approach from the LSCC can be utilized for cell transplantation into the perilymph without causing apparent auditory disorder, while an approach from the CLW delivers cells to the endolymph but appears to cause auditory dysfunction.