Fibronectin-like immunoreactivity of the basilar membrane of young and aged rats

Dysfunction of cochlear mechanics has been hypothesized to be a source of age-related hearing loss and the basilar membrane mass and stiffness contribute to normal cochlear mechanics. Fibronectin, a large, extracellular matrix protein and a major component of the basilar membrane, may contribute to both the mass and stiffness of the membrane. Mesothelial cells underlying the basilar membrane may produce the fibronectin and also contribute to the mass of the membrane. Changes in either the fibronectin or the mesothelial cells might, therefore, have an effect on cochlear mechanics. In order to assess basilar membrane changes in aged animals, young adult (2-4 months) and aged (24-26 months) Sprague-Dawley rats were evaluated for the presence of fibronectin-like protein and mesothelial cells. The basilar membrane in the young animals had strong fibronectin-like immunoreactivity throughout its length. The old animals, on the other hand, showed normal fibronectin immunoreactivity in the basilar membrane of the basal turn, but little or no reactivity in the apical cochlear turn. The number of mesothelial cells was reduced throughout the length of the membrane in aged animals, with the greatest loss in the basal turn (60% fewer cells). These two degenerative changes, which appear to be independent of each other, may contribute to the observed threshold shifts in aged cochleas.