[Physiopathology of otosclerosis. Preliminary research]

The Authors report their personal data based on several studies carried out on cellular cultures of otosclerotic bones in order to clarify some pathogenetic aspects of the disease. Besides structural differences observed on the cytoskeleton, and some components of extracellular matrix (GAGs) of otosclerotic cells, the most interesting data arise from the different responses to hormonal stimulations using calcitonin, parathormone, steroid hormones and interleukin-1. This research leads the Authors to believe that transduction mechanisms in otosclerotic cells could be altered as a result of genetically induced receptorial changes, which become more evident after certain pathological events.