Characterizing human vestibular sensory epithelia for experimental studies: new hair bundles on old tissue and implications for therapeutic interventions in ageing

• DOI: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2015.02.013
• Publication Date: 2015-02-18T01:06:32Z
• Authors: Ruth R. Taylor; Daniel J. Jagger; Shakeel R. Saeed; Patrick Axon; Neil Donnelly; James Tysome; David Moffatt; Richard Irving; Peter Monksfield; Chris Coulson; Simon R. Freeman; Simon K. Lloyd; Andrew Forge
• Keywords: Aging; Cell Survival; Neuroscience(all); Clinical Neurology; Hair cells; Regenerative Medicine; Epithelium; Utricle; Stereocilia; Hair Cells, Vestibular; 03 medical and health sciences; Aging pathologies; Supporting cells; Animals; Humans; Cells, Cultured; Aged; 0303 health sciences; Regular Article; Human vestibular; Nerve Regeneration; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Ageing; Mice, Inbred CBA; Vestibule, Labyrinth; Geriatrics and Gerontology; Developmental Biology

Balance disequilibrium is a significant contributor to falls in the elderly. The most common cause of balance dysfunction loss sensory cells from vestibular epithelia inner ear. However, inaccessibility ear tissue humans severely restricts possibilities for experimental manipulation develop therapies ameliorate this loss. We provide structural and functional analysis human harvested at trans-labyrinthine surgery. demonstrate viability labeling with specific markers hair cell function ion homeostasis epithelium. Samples obtained oldest patients revealed across surface, but we found immature bundles present >60 years age. These results suggest that environment epithelium could be responsive stimulation developmental pathways enhance regeneration, as has been demonstrated successfully organs adult mice.