Comparison of two decalcification agents using microwave technology: a histochemical assessment of the rat cochlea

ABSTRACTDespite the prevalence of hearing loss, there are no FDA-approved chemical entities available for either otoprotection or treatment of hearing impairment. This lack of drug-based treatments has made the assessment of the middle and inner ear a rare, challenging exercise in the pharmaceutical industry. Recently, advances in the use of various decalcifying agents, as well as heating techniques utilizing microwave technology have proven to be effective at shortening processing times, minimizing tissue damage and potentially lowering the cost of histopathological evaluation and diagnosis. This study tested decalcification agents in order to determine the most efficient decalcification procedure for rat outer, middle, and inner ear structures while preserving tissue morphology and eliminating introduction of artifacts to best facilitate histopathological analysis. Presented here are the results of rat ear histological preparations using two decalcifying agents at increasing microwave times with heat co...