A NOVEL, SIMPLE ORGANOTYPIC CULTURE METHOD TO STUDY THE ORGAN OF CORTI FROM THE NEONATAL GERBIL

An original, simple organotypic culture method was developed to grow t he organ of Corti from the neonatal gerbil on the bottom of a Petri di sh. In comparison with the commonly used Maximov slide assembly method , this method is easier, less time-consuming, and more economic. Our r esults in this study using fluorescent live/dead viability assay and f luorescein-conjugated antineurofilament antibodies show that the cultu red organ of Corti and spiral ganglion cells not only survived for at least 14 days but also maintained their basic organization and normal development in vitro. Therefore, our method can serve as a reliable an d easier alternative to the traditional techniques for studying the de velopment as well as other physiological properties of the cultured or gan of Corti.