Cellular detection of in vivo incorporation of (3H) deoxyglucose. Radioautographic study in the inner ear

Inner ear injection of (3H) deoxyglucose was followed by in situ glutaraldehyde fixation and, after removal, by traditional preparation of the tissue for electron microscopy. Radioautography of semi-thin sections revealed preferential tracer accumulation in metabolically active structures such as the cochlear stria vascularis and the dark cells surrounding the basis of the vestibular cristae. Furthermore, in the vestibule, the perikaryon of some sensory cells was intensely labelled. These results show that an in vivo injection of deoxyglucose, followed by conventional histological processing can be used to mark active cells at both cellular and subcellular levels