Photobiomodulation Can Enhance Stem Cell Viability in Cochlea with Auditory Neuropathy but Does Not Restore Hearing

Figure 2

Spontaneous cell–tissue connection following stem cell administration after the induction of nerve damage. (a) Schedule for the coculture of the explants with green fluorescent protein (GFP)-tagged mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs). The nerves of the organ of Corti (OC) explants from P4-5 mice were damaged with 500 mM kanamycin (KM) at 1 day. GFP-tagged mESCs (1 × 10⁷ cells/mL) were injected into the explants and cocultured for 3 days. (b) Representative differential interference contrast (DIC) image of a KM-treated explant after 3 days of coculture. DIC revealed damaged hair cell layers. (c) Representative epifluorescence image of a KM-treated explant after 3 days of coculture. After coculture, the samples were fixed and subjected to epifluorescence with phalloidin red. Some ESCs exhibited axon-like structures (solid white arrows) above the tissue (unfilled arrows) or between the tissue (arrowheads), suggesting integration into the explants. (Yellow arrow: flat epithelium). Scale bar = 1 mm, 100 µM.

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