Figure 1.

The organ of Corti structure and acute cyclodextrin-induced damage. (A) Schematic of sensory cells and supporting cell populations in the organ of Corti. The schematic focuses on supporting cells adjacent to OHCs, including Deiters’ cells, Hensen’s cells, inner pillar cells, and outer pillar cells. Cell specific markers are listed. (B) Cyclodextrin-induced ototoxicity in the mouse cochlea examined at 1 day post-treatment. Phalloidin staining of actin shows a significant loss of OHCs. The single arrows mark cuticular plates without phalloidin staining, while the double-arrow indicates a cuticular plate with phalloidin staining. The images show a middle region of the cochlea, about 60% distance from the apex. (C) Prestin immunolabeling reveals fragmented OHCs, indicating severe OHC damage (arrows). (D) Myosin 7α immunostaining demonstrates that IHCs remain largely intact (arrows). (E) DAPI staining supports the preferential damage to OHCs compared to IHCs. The asterisks indicate the areas of missing OHCs and the arrows point to IHC nuclei. Bars = 20 µm.