Comparative Study on the Auditory Ossicles Related to the Pathogeny of Otosclerosis

Abstract

A comparative study carried out on normal and pathologic auditory ossicles of adult people revealed a particular type of macromolecular composition, aggregation and stabilization, occurring in the stapedian footplate as compared to the stapedian head, malleus and incus. It is characterized by (a) an increased solubility of the collagen fibers in solvents such as acidic buffers, as well as following the action of hydrogen-bond and electrostatic bond breakers; (b) a particular sensitivity to collagenase digestion after the elimination of the sialic acid. The artificial introduction of new cross-links permitted the stapedian footplate to acquire the same niacromolecular stability as the collagen of the stapedian head, incus and malleus.