Differential vulnerability of basal and apical hair cells is based on intrinsic susceptibility to free radicals

The base of the cochlea is more vulnerable to trauma than the apex as seen in the pattern of hair cell damage by cisplatin or aminoglycosides. The dif ferential vulnerability is maintained in organotypic cultures exposed direc tly to these drugs, suggesting there may be an intrinsic difference in sens itivity to damage along the cochlear spiral. We therefore investigated the survival capacity of isolated outer hair cells and strips dissected from di fferent turns of the guinea pig organ of Corti in short-term culture. Cells were stained with fluorescent indicators of viable or dead cells, calcein- AM and ethidium homodimer. After 5 h at room temperature, up to 90% of oute r hair cells from the apex survived, but less than 30% from the base. In co ntrast, basal inner hair cells remained viable, and supporting cells surviv ed for at least 20 h. The difference in survival capacity between basal and apical outer hair cells coincided with a significantly lower level of the antioxidant glutathione in basal outer hair cells compared with apical oute r hair cells. This suggested that basal outer hair cells may be more vulner able to free-radical damage than epical outer hair cells. The survival of b asal outer hair cells was significantly improved by addition of the radical scavengers,I-acetyl cysteine, p-phenylenediamine, glutathione, mannitol or salicylate. The protection by antioxidants implies that the accelerated de ath of basal outer hair cells is due to free-radical damage. The results su pport an intrinsic susceptibility to free radicals that differs among cochl ear cell populations. This differential provides a rational explanation for base-to-apex gradients observed in various forms of cochlear pathology. (C ) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.