Estrogen receptors in the normal adult and developing human inner ear and in Turner’s syndrome

The influence of estrogens, the female sex hormone, on the ear and hearing is yet not fully investigated, though some studies have suggested that estrogens may influence hearing functions. The presence of estrogen receptors α and β has earlier been shown in the inner ear of mice and rats. The aim of this study was to map possible estrogen receptors in the human inner ear. Inner ear tissue from human adults, aborted human normal fetuses and fetuses with Turner’s syndrome were collected. Paraffin embedded sections of adult and fetal inner ears were immunostained with antibodies against estrogen receptors α and β. Estrogen receptor α containing cells were found in the adult human inner ear only in the spiral ganglion, and estrogen receptor β in the stria vascularis solely. The human fetal inner ear tissue from both normal and Turner fetuses showed a very weak staining of estrogen receptor α in the spiral ganglion cells, but no specific labeling of the Kölliker’s organ of Corti at 13, 14 and 18 weeks of age. No staining of estrogen receptor β was seen in the fetal inner ear.