Fig. 13

Apoptosis in the rat cochlea exposed to liposome nanocarriers demonstrated using TUNEL staining confocal microscopy. Apoptotic cells were sparsely detected in the cochlear cells of rats in groups of negative control (H2O) (a–c), empty liposome nanocarriers (LPN) (f–i), and Gd-DOTA-containing LPN (LPN + Gd) (j–l). There were abundant apoptotic cells in the footplate of the stapes (FP) and oval window niche (OWN) of both groups (d, e). In a positive control (PC), abundant TUNEL staining was detected in the spiral ligament fibrocytes (SL), stria basal cells (SBC), and stria margina cells (SMC). PP periphery process of the spiral ganglion cell (SGC), OC osteocyte, OSC outer sulcus cell, SL-IV type IV of spiral ligament fibrocytes, SLim spiral limbus, StrV stria vascularis. Scale bar a–l = 32 μm, m = 16 μm