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Galectine-1 expression in cochleae of C57BL/6 mice during aging
M V Bartolomé1, L M López, P Gil-Loyzaga
1Centre of Cell Culture (CAI-UCM),Department of Surgery II (ORL), Faculty of Medicine, Complutense University of Madrid, Apartado de Correos 60.075. 28080 Madrid, Spain.
Abstract:
Presbycusis is a progressive hearing loss related to the aging process associated with auditory receptor degeneration. Adult animals exhibited galectine-1 (GAL-1) expression in epithelial cells of the inner and outer spiral sulci and Hensen cells, which was absent from the sensory and supporting cells. The progressive age-related degeneration of auditory receptor was analyzed using an anti-GAL-1 monoclonal antibody on cochleae of C57BL/6 mice (1-24 months old). Mice < or = 9 months old showed adult and healthy auditory receptors, with a similar GAL-1 expression along the time. Conversely, animals > 1 year old exhibited a sensory degeneration at the cochleae basal coil that progressively reached the middle coil. Older animals (18-24 months old) showed a single layer epithelium that replaced the auditory receptor. The age-related degenerative process of the auditory receptor involves sensory but also supporting cells, which are both substituted by epithelial non-specialized cells.