Fig. 3.

MCP1⁺ cells in the rat cochlea 7 days post-intratympanic injection of 0.4 % AgNPs shown by immunofluorescence confocal microscopy or immunohistochemistry. In the cochleae exposed to dH₂O, the Deiters’ cells (DCs) of Corti’s organ (CO) showed intensive staining, while the inner hair cells (IHCs) and inner pillar cells (IPCs) exhibited moderate staining (h). The strial intermediate cells (SIMCs), strial basal cells (SBCs), spiral ganglion cells (SGCs), and outer hair cells (OHCs) and outer pillar cells (OPCs) of CO demonstrated mild staining, while the spiral ligament fibrocytes (SLFs) displayed extremely weak staining (d, f, h). In the cochleae exposed to 0.4 % AgNPs, the SLFs showed more intensive staining that was independent of the cochlear turn, while the SIMCs, SBCs, and capillary endothelial cells (CaECs) demonstrated more intensive staining in the first turn (a–c). In CO, the IPCs and DCs exhibited more intensive staining, but the hair cells (HCs) and OPCs did not (g). However, the SGCs did not show any changes (e). Comparisons of staining intensity are shown in i and j. Scale bar = 30 μm