Endothelin 1 is a vasoconstrictive peptide with many biological functions. To investigate the distribution of endothelin 1 in guinea pig cochlear lateral wall and the significance of endothelin 1 in maintaining cochlear homeostasis, the immunohistochemistry avidin biotin complex method was applied by using rabbit anti-endothelin 1 polyclonal antibody as primary antibody. Endothelin-1-like activities were detected in the marginal cells, spiral prominence epithelial cells, outer sulcus cells, stria vascularis capillaries, basal cells and spiral ligament fibrocytes.
These results suggest that endothelin 1 may play an important role in maintaining cochlear homeostasis.
