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Abstract
The content of hyaluronan (HA), a common connective tissue component, was determined in well defined areas of the rat middle ear. The HA concentration in the pars flaccida of the tympanic membrane was considerably greater than in the pars tensa and areas on the medial wall of the middle ear cavity. The fate of exogenous HA introduced into the middle ear was also studied in rats. Tritium-labelled HA disappeared through the Eustachian tube (ET) and was followed by analysis of the nasopharyngeal secretion. The radioactivity in the secretion reached a peak at 3 h and decreased to almost zero within 12 h, indicating that most of the HA was removed. By autoradiography and direct analysis of the HA concentration and molecular weight distribution the fate of HA after obstruction of the ET was followed. Radioactive HA was confined to the middle ear and no uptake into surrounding tissues could be traced by autoradiography 4 days after application. The amount of HA that could be recovered from the middle ear was constant for up to 6 days. Analysis of the molecular weight distribution of the deposited HA indicated only slow degradation during these 6 days.