ABSTRACT
Objective To investigate the expression of aquaporin 2 (AQP2) in an endolymphatic hydrops ani-mal model .Methods Forty adult guinea pigs were randomly divided into experiment group and control group (20 animals in each group ) . Guinea pigs in the experiment group were treated with deamino arginine vasopressin (DDAVP) intraperitoneally at the dosage of 4 μg · kg -1 · d-1 for 7 days ,while those in the control group were treated with physiological saline .The endolymphatic hydrops and expression of AQP2 in cochleas of all animals were evaluated by Hematoxylin and Eosin stain ,immunohistochemistry and Western blot .Results The endolymphatic hydrops in the experiment group were more severe than that in the control group(P<0 .05) .Expression of AQP2 were found in the stria vascularis and spiral ganglions in both groups with similar patterns .Both immunohistochem-istry and Western blot showed that the expressions of AQP2 in the experiment group were significantly stronger(P<0 .05 ) .Conclusion DDAVP can up-regulate the expression of AQP2 in the cochleae of guinea pigs ,thus may be closely related to the pathogenesis of endolymphatic hydrops .