Respiratory rate and ATP content of stria vascularis of guinea pig in vitro.

Stria vascularis from guinea pig cochleae was incubated in vitro to determine its metabolic response to variations in substrate and ion composition of the incubation medium. The respiratory rate at 37 degrees C in a medium containing glucose and pyruvate as substrate was 17.3 +/- 1.33 (SEM, n = 51) microliter O2/mg dry weight-hour. The stria could not maintain constant respiration by relying solely upon endogenous fuel stores. With substrate supplied, the ATP level could be maintained at about 73% of that existing in vivo. Glucose appears to be an adequate substrate for stria in vitro since glutamate, pyruvate, and fumarate did not increase the respiratory rate. Succinate increased respiration markedly but did not increase the ATP level. Ouabain (10(-4) M) caused a 48% decrease in the respiratory rate. Incubation in Na+-free and K"-free medium, each resulted in irreversible decrease of respiratory rate comparable to (or greater than) that caused by ouabain. These data are in accord with the high activity of Na+-K+-ATPase in the stria and the pronounced sensitivity of the endolymphatic potential to ouabain.