Home › Neuroscience › The Mouse Round-window Approach for Ototoxic Agent Delivery: A Rapid and Reliable Technique for Inducing Cochlear Cell Degeneration
Neuroscience JoVE (Open Access) Citable · DOI

The Mouse Round-window Approach for Ototoxic Agent Delivery: A Rapid and Reliable Technique for Inducing Cochlear Cell Degeneration

DOI: 10.3791/53131-v
What you'll learn
  • ✓ Perform round-window surgical approach for cochlear drug delivery in mice
  • ✓ Apply ototoxic agents to induce targeted cochlear cell degeneration
  • ✓ Evaluate cochlear damage patterns and cellular regeneration responses
  • ✓ Execute microsurgical technique with minimal mechanical tissue disruption
Protocol

Biopharma Insights Various methods exist for introducing ototoxic agents to the cochleae of animal models. Presented is a surgical protocol for delivery of ototoxic agents to the round window niche. The procedure is reliable, creates targeted intra-cochlear lesions, and avoids mechanical damage to the microarchitecture. Examination of cochlear self-repair/regeneration is possible.

Difficulty
advanced
Total time
~45–60 min per mouse (surgery + agent application + recovery)
Model organism
Mouse (strain not specified)
Biosafety
BSL-1

Steps

1
Prepare surgical field and position mouse

Position mouse and establish surgical access to the ear region. Set up sterile field and anatomical landmarks for round-window visualization.

▶ 02:10
2
Execute surgical approach to round window

Perform microsurgical dissection and exposure of the round-window niche using standard otologic techniques while preserving cochlear microarchitecture.

▶ 05:09
3
Apply ototoxic agent to round window

Deliver ototoxic agent (e.g., heptanol) directly to the round-window membrane using microinjection or controlled application to induce targeted cochlear lesions.

▶ 08:07
4
Document cochlear damage and regeneration patterns

Assess and image resulting targeted cochlear cell degeneration and examine tissue response for self-repair or regenerative mechanisms.

▶ 09:52
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