INVESTIGATION ON RESORPTION OF ENDOLYMPH IN INNER EAR OF GUINEA-PIG .2. EXPERIMENTS WITH RADIOACTIVE LABELED SUBSTANCES AND AUTORADIOGRAPHIC EVALUATION

Substances rendered radioactive (3H-lysine, 14C-cysteine, 3H-glucose and biological labeled 3H-guinea-pig-protein) were introduced into the cochlear duct of the ginea-pig by means of a micro-pipette and a special manipulating device. Their distribution and resorption in the inner ear was investigated autoradiographically. Labeled amino acids spread quickly into the whole of the membranous labyrinth, were they were detected. It is interesting to note that the substances with a low molecular weight have passed into the modiolus and reached the internal acoustic canal. It is concluded that the Corti and perilymphatic spaces communicate with the subarchnoidal space via the perineural space of the cochlear nerve and the modiolus. 3H-glucose could not be transformed into a non-labile compound and hence could not be detected autoradiographically. A high density of 3H-guinea-pig protein was detected in the tectorial membrane (physico-chemical bound) and in Reissner's membrane (resorption). These results confirm experiments with trypan blue and ferritin by the same author. © 1969 Springer-Verlag.