English: "(A) Representative confocal images of whole mounts organ of Corti from the medial region immunolabeled for calretinin (red) and prestin (green) in control, treated with efavirenz, and treated with efavirenz plus Phy mice (top) (scale bar = 16 μm). Cochlear whole mount yz projection of 3 OHCs from each row (bottom) (scale bar = 8 μm). (B) Mean pixel intensity plot along the width of one individual OHC from each of the 3 rows at the medial region of the cochlea as a function of distance in the 3 groups of mice (bottom panel). High-magnification image of one OHC from the selected area indicated by a white rectangle on the confocal image in A (top panel). The pink and orange line represent approximately 8 μm, the width of one OHC (pink ends indicate the region corresponding to the lateral wall, and orange the cytoplasm of the cell). (C) Ratio between the average fluorescence intensity in the lateral wall and the cytoplasm to visualize the change in distribution of prestin within each OHC at the medial region of the cochlea (Control: n = 24 cells from 6 mice; efavirenz: n = 25 cells from 6 mice and efavirenz together with phytosterols: n = 38 cells from 6 mice). (D) Bar graph showing the mean in the fluorescence intensity of prestin at the 3 cochlear regions (apical, medial, and basal). The intensity was measured by tracing a line through 3 consecutive OHCs. (Control: n = 110 OHCs at the apical, 60 OHCs at the medial, and 76 OHCs at the basal region; efavirenz: n = 75 OHCs at the apical, 90 OHCs at the medial, and 60 OHCs at the basal region and efavirenz together with phytosterols: n = 110 OHCs at the apical, 105 OHCs at the medial, and 80 OHCs at the basal region). After efavirenz treatment, there was a reduction in prestin labeling in the OHC lateral wall. Supplementation with Phy increased the presence of prestin in the OHCs membrane compared with mice following efavirenz treatment alone. Group means ± SEM are shown. Asterisks represent the statistical significance (one-way ANOVA, followed by Tukey’s test, **** = p < 0.0001). The data underlying this figure can be found at https://osf.io/xpemk/. OHC, outer hair cell; Phy, phytosterols."