[Marginal cells of the stria vascularis in vitro]

Explants of stria vascularis and spiral ligament of the guinea pig cochlea were cultivated and after 2 days fibroblast-like cells were found growing around the explant. Marginal cells advanced at 15 microns/day to the border of the explant, and after 2 weeks they proliferated on top of a thin layer of fibroblast-like cells outside the explant, replacing several layers of fibroblast-like cells. Tight junctions and interdigitations of the lateral membranes were found between all neighbouring marginal cells. Their apical surface was covered by microvillus-like membrane extensions. The basal membrane of the new marginal cells did not interdigitate with the underlying membranes of fibroblast-like cells; there was always a gap between the two cell types. The results demonstrate that marginal cells of the stria vascularis are capable of repairing damage to the epithelium, such as may be caused by endolymphatic hydrops, even if the luminal side contains perilymph-like fluid. Furthermore, the cell culture allows living, clearly identified marginal cells to be studied in vivo.