Abstract
Histochemical studies of respiratory enzymes were carried out in the cochlea of guinea pigs.
The authors stained succinic dehydrogenase, DPN-diaphorase, cytochrome-oxidase, and lipid according to the methods established by Wachstein et Meisel, Farber et al., Gruff and Lison respectively.
The results obtained were as follows.
Succinic dehydrogenase, DPN-diaphorase, and cytochrome oxidase were demonstrated with strong activity in the stria vascularis, outer hair cells, inner hair cells, spiral ligament, and spiral ganglion cells, which were also stained deeply by sudan black B.
Limbus, Claudius' cell, Hensen's cell, Deiters' cell, and Reissner's membrane showed a slight enzymatic activity, while staining reaction did not occur in the tectorial membrane.
The intensity of succinic dehydrogenase and DPN-diaphorase was variable according to the turn of the cochlea and individuals, while that of cytochrome oxidase was uniform.
The lower turn showed a tendency to give a higher enzymatic activity than the upper turn.
From the standpoint of the distribution of respiratory enzymes, the stria vascularis, spiral ligament, sensory cells and spiral ganglion cells are rich in oxygen metabolism and therefore supply neccessary energy for sound transmission.
