Stria vascularis of cochlear duct

The stria vascularis is part of the lateral wall of the cochlear duct.^[1] It is a somewhat stratified epithelium containing primarily three cell types:

• marginal cells,^[1] which are involved in K⁺ transport, and line the endolymphatic space of the scala media.
• intermediate cells,^[1] which are pigment-containing cells scattered among capillaries.
• basal cells,^[1] which separate the stria vascularis from the underlying spiral ligament.^[2] They are connected to basal cells with gap junctions.^[1]

The stria vascularis also contains pericytes, melanocytes, and endothelial cells.^[3]: 2380 It also contains intraepithelial capillaries - it is the only epithelial tissue that is not avascular (completely lacking blood vessels and lymphatic vessels).^{[citation needed]}

The stria vascularis produces endolymph for the scala media, one of the three fluid-filled compartments of the cochlea.^[4] This maintains the ion balance of the endolymph that surround inner hair cells and outer hair cells of the organ of Corti.^[4] It secretes lots of K⁺,^[1][4] and may also secrete H⁺.^[1]

  This article incorporates text in the public domain from page 1055 of the 20th edition of Gray's Anatomy (1918)

• ImageatUniversity of New England, Maine
• UIUC Histology Subject 81
• DiagramatIUPUI