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Updated: Aug 18, 2025

Cochlear Surface Preparation in the Adult Mouse
Published on: November 6, 2019
Spatial architecture of the cochlear immune microenvironment in noise-induced and age-related sensorineural hearing
Peifan Li1, Tingting Qian1, Shan Sun1
1ENT Institute and Otorhinolaryngology, Department of Affiliated Eye and ENT Hospital, Key Laboratory of Hearing Medicine of NHFPC, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200031, China; Eye and ENT Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200031, China.
Abstract:
The cochlea encodes sound stimuli and transmits them to the central nervous system, and damage to sensory cells and synapses in the cochlea leads to hearing loss. The inner ear was previously considered to be an immune privileged organ to protect the auditory organ from reactions with the immune system. However, recent studies have revealed the presence of resident macrophages in the cochlea, especially in the spiral ligament, spiral ganglion, and stria vascularis. The tissue-resident macrophages are responsible for the detection, phagocytosis, and clearance of cellular debris and pathogens from the tissues, and they initiate inflammation and influence tissue repair by producing inflammatory cytokines and chemokines. Insult to the cochlea can activate the cochlear macrophages to initiate immune responses. In this review, we describe the distribution and functions of cochlear macrophages in noise-induced hearing impairment and age-related hearing disabilities. We also focus on potential therapeutic interventions concerning hearing loss by modulating local immune responses.
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