Figure 6. Treatment with liposomally-encapsulated clodronate reduces the number of macrophages in cochlear cultures.

(A) Untreated cochlear cultures possess numerous macrophages (green), particularly in the hyaline/cuboidal cell region. (B) After treatment for 24 hr in clodronate-containing liposomes, very few macrophages remain (arrows). In contrast, hair cell morphology did not appear to be affected by clodronate treatment (red: phalloidin). (C) Quantification of macrophages in clodronate-treated vs. control cultures (n = four samples/specimen from eight clodronate-treated and six control cochleae) demonstrates a sharp reduction in the resident macrophage population after clodronate treatment (p<0.001). Scale bar = 30 µm.