The Effects of Urethane on Rat Outer Hair Cells
The cochlea converts sound vibration into electrical impulses and amplifies the low-level sound signal. Urethane, a widely used anesthetic in animal research, has been shown to reduce the neural responses to auditory stimuli. However, the effects of urethane on cochlea, especially on the function of...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2016-01-01
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| Series: | Neural Plasticity |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2016/3512098 |
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| author | Mingyu Fu Mengzi Chen Xiao Yan Xueying Yang Jinfang Xiao Jie Tang |
| author_facet | Mingyu Fu Mengzi Chen Xiao Yan Xueying Yang Jinfang Xiao Jie Tang |
| author_sort | Mingyu Fu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The cochlea converts sound vibration into electrical impulses and amplifies the low-level sound signal. Urethane, a widely used anesthetic in animal research, has been shown to reduce the neural responses to auditory stimuli. However, the effects of urethane on cochlea, especially on the function of outer hair cells, remain largely unknown. In the present study, we compared the cochlear microphonic responses between awake and urethane-anesthetized rats. The results revealed that the amplitude of the cochlear microphonic was decreased by urethane, resulting in an increase in the threshold at all of the sound frequencies examined. To deduce the possible mechanism underlying the urethane-induced decrease in cochlear sensitivity, we examined the electrical response properties of isolated outer hair cells using whole-cell patch-clamp recording. We found that urethane hyperpolarizes the outer hair cell membrane potential in a dose-dependent manner and elicits larger outward current. This urethane-induced outward current was blocked by strychnine, an antagonist of the α9 subunit of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor. Meanwhile, the function of the outer hair cell motor protein, prestin, was not affected. These results suggest that urethane anesthesia is expected to decrease the responses of outer hair cells, whereas the frequency selectivity of cochlea remains unchanged. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-e1afe619a8e04d22b102374de2fc06dc |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2090-5904 1687-5443 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2016-01-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Neural Plasticity |
| spelling | doaj-art-e1afe619a8e04d22b102374de2fc06dc2025-02-03T06:11:15ZengWileyNeural Plasticity2090-59041687-54432016-01-01201610.1155/2016/35120983512098The Effects of Urethane on Rat Outer Hair CellsMingyu Fu0Mengzi Chen1Xiao Yan2Xueying Yang3Jinfang Xiao4Jie Tang5Department of Physiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, ChinaDepartment of Physiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, ChinaDepartment of Anesthesiology, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, ChinaDepartment of Anesthesiology, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Guangzhou 510120, ChinaDepartment of Anesthesiology, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, ChinaDepartment of Physiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, ChinaThe cochlea converts sound vibration into electrical impulses and amplifies the low-level sound signal. Urethane, a widely used anesthetic in animal research, has been shown to reduce the neural responses to auditory stimuli. However, the effects of urethane on cochlea, especially on the function of outer hair cells, remain largely unknown. In the present study, we compared the cochlear microphonic responses between awake and urethane-anesthetized rats. The results revealed that the amplitude of the cochlear microphonic was decreased by urethane, resulting in an increase in the threshold at all of the sound frequencies examined. To deduce the possible mechanism underlying the urethane-induced decrease in cochlear sensitivity, we examined the electrical response properties of isolated outer hair cells using whole-cell patch-clamp recording. We found that urethane hyperpolarizes the outer hair cell membrane potential in a dose-dependent manner and elicits larger outward current. This urethane-induced outward current was blocked by strychnine, an antagonist of the α9 subunit of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor. Meanwhile, the function of the outer hair cell motor protein, prestin, was not affected. These results suggest that urethane anesthesia is expected to decrease the responses of outer hair cells, whereas the frequency selectivity of cochlea remains unchanged.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2016/3512098 |
| spellingShingle | Mingyu Fu Mengzi Chen Xiao Yan Xueying Yang Jinfang Xiao Jie Tang The Effects of Urethane on Rat Outer Hair Cells Neural Plasticity |
| title | The Effects of Urethane on Rat Outer Hair Cells |
| title_full | The Effects of Urethane on Rat Outer Hair Cells |
| title_fullStr | The Effects of Urethane on Rat Outer Hair Cells |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Effects of Urethane on Rat Outer Hair Cells |
| title_short | The Effects of Urethane on Rat Outer Hair Cells |
| title_sort | effects of urethane on rat outer hair cells |
| url | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2016/3512098 |
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