Figure 5. Macrophage phagocytosis in the cochlea.
A.A scanning electron microscope image of a macrophage on the lumen surface of the scala tympani collected from a normal young C57BL/6J mouse. The image was captured using a Hitachi scanning electron microscope (Hitachi SU-70). Notice that the processes of the macrophage (marked in blue) are entangling a red blood cell (marked in red). B. Image shows macrophage phagocytosis of a cell debris. The tissue was stained with CD45 and propidium iodide, a fluorescent dye that binds to nuclear DNA. Notice that the tip of a dendritic process of the macrophage (white arrow) has enclosed a condensed nuclear fragment for engulfment. Insets show the enlarged view of the tip of the macrophage process.