Nature of Blood-Labyrinth Barrier in Experimental Conditions

Abstract

The blood-labyrinth barrier is a concept that has evolved based on marked difference in chemical composition between perilymph and blood. Studies reported here have been designed to manipulate physiologic, metabolic, and pharmacologic conditions in experimental animals in order to determine the characteristics of this regulatory mechanism. Tracer studies of uptake of sodium, calcium, and albumin from blood into perilymph showed that these substances penetrate into inner ear fluids quite slowly. Injections of ototoxic substances (kanamycin, furosemide) show limited transport of these agents into perilymph. Another ototoxic agent, ethacrynic acid, was found to transiently reduce the transport of sodium into perilymph. Administration of an osmotic agent (urea) resulted in a parallel but delayed elevation of perilymph concentration. The possible role of alteration of blood-labyrinth barrier in inner ear disorders has been discussed.