Tectorial membrane regeneration in acoustically damaged birds: an immunocytochemical technique.

A novel immunocytochemical method was used to determine whether the sound-damaged adult quail ear can repair its tectorial membrane (TM) and to compare the repair in quail to that in chicks. Birds were exposed to an octave band noise with a center frequency of 1.5 kHz at 116 dB SPL for 4 h. The chicks were grouped based on recovery duration (0 and 7 days), while the quail were divided into 0-, 7-, and 14-day recovered groups. At the end of the recovery period, the animals were sacrificed, and their basilar papillae labeled with a TM-specific monoclonal primary antibody solution followed by a diaminobenzidine process. Examinations under a stereoscope revealed that a patch lesion devoid of TM was located on all 0-day recovered papillae. Seven days later, a honeycomb-patterned layer was observed covering the lesion. In 14-day recovered quail ears, the honeycomb layer appeared similar to that seen at 7 days post-exposure. These observations indicated that both chicks and quail were able to repair their TM within 7 days following exposure to intense sound.