scholarly journals Activation of the NRF2 pathway in Keap1-knockdown mice attenuates progression of age-related hearing loss

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tetsuya Oishi ◽  
Daisuke Matsumaru ◽  
Nao Ota ◽  
Hiroshi Kitamura ◽  
Tianxiang Zhang ◽  
...  

AbstractAge-related hearing loss (AHL) is a progressive sensorineural hearing loss in elderly people. Although no prevention or treatments have been established for AHL, recent studies have demonstrated that oxidative stress is closely related to pathogenesis of AHL, suggesting that suppression of oxidative stress leads to inhibition of AHL progression. NRF2 is a master transcription factor that regulates various antioxidant proteins and cytoprotection factors. To examine whether NRF2 pathway activation prevents AHL, we used Keap1-knockdown (Keap1FA/FA) mice, in which KEAP1, a negative regulator of NRF2, is decreased, resulting in the elevation of NRF2 activity. We compared 12-month-old Keap1FA/FA mice with age-matched wild-type (WT) mice in the same breeding colony. In the Keap1FA/FA mice, the expression levels of multiple NRF2 target genes were verified to be significantly higher than the expression levels of these genes in the WT mice. Histological analysis showed that cochlear degeneration at the apical and middle turns was ameliorated in the Keap1FA/FA mice. Auditory brainstem response (ABR) thresholds in the Keap1FA/FA mice were significantly lower than those in the WT mice, in particular at low–mid frequencies. Immunohistochemical detection of oxidative stress markers suggested that oxidative stress accumulation was attenuated in the Keap1FA/FA cochlea. Thus, we concluded that NRF2 pathway activation protects the cochlea from oxidative damage during aging, in particular at the apical and middle turns. KEAP1-inhibiting drugs and phytochemicals are expected to be effective in the prevention of AHL.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pengjun Li ◽  
Dan Bing ◽  
Xiaodi Wang ◽  
Jin Chen ◽  
Zhihui Du ◽  
...  

Abstract To examine the oxidative stress and the antioxidant response of p62-Keap1-Nrf2 pathway in cochleae during age-related hearing loss (ARHL) and noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL), and then elucidate the function of full-length and variant p62/Sqstm1 (referred to here as p62) in the regulation of Nrf2 activation. Cochlear damage was assessed by analyzing auditory brainstem response (ABR) and by counting hair cells (HCs). For oxidative stress detection, the malondialdehyde (MDA) levels and 7, 8-dihydro-8-oxoguanine (8-oxoG) expression in the cochleae was measured by assay kits and immunohistochemistry, respectively. The expression of full-length and variant p62 in cochleae, hippocampus (HIP) and auditory cortex (AC) was found by western blotting; For the Keap1-Nrf2 pathway activation, the Nrf2 nuclear translocation and the Nrf2 target genes HO-1/NQO-1 expression was detected by western blotting and qRT-PCR, respectively. The oxidative function of full-length and variant p62 was examined in HEI-OC-1 cells by flow cytometry. The results showed hearing loss and cochlear hair cell loss was associated with MDA accumulation and 8-oxoG expression during ARHL and NIHL. Nrf2 showed no obvious changes in nuclear protein. Expression levels mRNA for HO-1 and NQO1 was lower in old mice and mildly greater in AT Mice. The expression of p62 splicing variant lacking the Keap1-interacting region was greater than full-length p62 in cochleae. However, the expression of p62 splicing variant was lesser than full-length p62 in HIP and AC. For HEI-OC-1 cells, high expression of full-length p62 decreased ROS levels induced by H2O2. Oxidative stress is closely related to ARHL and NIHL. Changing the ratio of full-length to variant p62 protein expression may be a new target to reduce the level of oxidative stress in cochleae.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (6) ◽  
pp. 2853
Author(s):  
Judit Szepesy ◽  
Viktória Humli ◽  
János Farkas ◽  
Ildikó Miklya ◽  
Júlia Tímár ◽  
...  

Age-related hearing loss (ARHL), a sensorineural hearing loss of multifactorial origin, increases its prevalence in aging societies. Besides hearing aids and cochlear implants, there is no FDA approved efficient pharmacotherapy to either cure or prevent ARHL. We hypothesized that selegiline, an antiparkinsonian drug, could be a promising candidate for the treatment due to its complex neuroprotective, antioxidant, antiapoptotic, and dopaminergic neurotransmission enhancing effects. We monitored by repeated Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR) measurements the effect of chronic per os selegiline administration on the hearing function in BALB/c and DBA/2J mice, which strains exhibit moderate and rapid progressive high frequency hearing loss, respectively. The treatments were started at 1 month of age and lasted until almost a year and 5 months of age, respectively. In BALB/c mice, 4 mg/kg selegiline significantly mitigated the progression of ARHL at higher frequencies. Used in a wide dose range (0.15–45 mg/kg), selegiline had no effect in DBA/2J mice. Our results suggest that selegiline can partially preserve the hearing in certain forms of ARHL by alleviating its development. It might also be otoprotective in other mammals or humans.


Antioxidants ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 109 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chisato Fujimoto ◽  
Tatsuya Yamasoba

Mitochondrial dysfunction is associated with the etiologies of sensorineural hearing loss, such as age-related hearing loss, noise- and ototoxic drug-induced hearing loss, as well as hearing loss due to mitochondrial gene mutation. Mitochondria are the main sources of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and ROS-induced oxidative stress is involved in cochlear damage. Moreover, the release of ROS causes further damage to mitochondrial components. Antioxidants are thought to counteract the deleterious effects of ROS and thus, may be effective for the treatment of oxidative stress-related diseases. The administration of mitochondria-targeted antioxidants is one of the drug delivery systems targeted to mitochondria. Mitochondria-targeted antioxidants are expected to help in the prevention and/or treatment of diseases associated with mitochondrial dysfunction. Of the various mitochondria-targeted antioxidants, the protective effects of MitoQ and SkQR1 against ototoxicity have been previously evaluated in animal models and/or mouse auditory cell lines. MitoQ protects against both gentamicin- and cisplatin-induced ototoxicity. SkQR1 also provides auditory protective effects against gentamicin-induced ototoxicity. On the other hand, decreasing effect of MitoQ on gentamicin-induced cell apoptosis in auditory cell lines has been controversial. No clinical studies have been reported for otoprotection using mitochondrial-targeted antioxidants. High-quality clinical trials are required to reveal the therapeutic effect of mitochondria-targeted antioxidants in terms of otoprotection in patients.


Antioxidants ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. 1497
Author(s):  
Luz del Mar Rivas-Chacón ◽  
Sofía Martínez-Rodríguez ◽  
Raquel Madrid-García ◽  
Joaquín Yanes-Díaz ◽  
Juan Ignacio Riestra-Ayora ◽  
...  

Age-related hearing loss (ARHL) is an increasing and gradual sensorineural hearing dysfunction. Oxidative stress is an essential factor in developing ARHL; additionally, premature senescence of auditory cells induced by oxidative stress can produce hearing loss. Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) represents a method commonly used to generate cellular senescence in vitro. The objective of the present paper is to study H2O2-induced senescence patterns in three auditory cell lines (House Ear Institute-Organ of Corti 1, HEI-OC1; organ of Corti, OC-k3, and stria vascularis, SV-k1 cells) to elucidate the intrinsic mechanisms responsible for ARHL. The auditory cells were exposed to H2O2 at different concentrations and times. The results obtained show different responses of the hearing cells concerning cell growth, β-galactosidase activity, morphological changes, mitochondrial activation, levels of oxidative stress, and other markers of cell damage (Forkhead box O3a, FoxO3a, and 8-oxoguanine, 8-oxoG). Comparison between the responses of these auditory cells to H2O2 is a helpful method to evaluate the molecular mechanisms responsible for these auditory cells’ senescence. Furthermore, this in vitro model could help develop anti-senescent therapeutic strategies for the treatment of AHRL.


2017 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 96-103 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qiuhong Huang ◽  
Yongkang Ou ◽  
Hao Xiong ◽  
Haidi Yang ◽  
Zhigang Zhang ◽  
...  

Hypothesis: The miR-34a/Bcl-2 signaling pathway may play a role in the mechanisms related to age-related hearing loss (AHL) in the auditory cortex. Background: The auditory cortex plays a key role in the recognition and processing of complex sound. It is difficult to explain why patients with AHL have poor speech recognition, so increasing numbers of studies have focused on its central change. Although micro (mi)RNAs in the central nervous system have recently been increasingly reported to be associated with age-related diseases, the molecular mechanisms of AHL in the auditory cortex are not fully understood. Methods: The auditory brainstem response was used to assess the hearing ability of C57BL/6 mice, and q-PCR, immunohistochemistry, and Western blotting were used to detect the expression levels of miR-34a and Bcl-2 in the mouse auditory cortex. TUNEL and DNA fragmentation were adopted to detect the apoptosis of neurons in the auditory cortex. To verify the relationship of miR-34a and Bcl-2, we transfected an miR-34a mimic or miR-34a inhibitor into primary auditory cortex neurons. Results: In this study, miR-34a/Bcl-2 signaling was examined in auditory cortex neurons during aging. miR-34a and apoptosis increased in the auditory cortex neurons of C57BL/6 mice with aging, whereas an age-related decrease in Bcl-2 was determined. In the primary neurons of the auditory cortex, miR-34a overexpression inhibited Bcl-2, leading to an increase in apoptosis. Moreover, miR-34a knockdown increased Bcl-2 expression and diminished apoptosis. Conclusion: Our results support a link between age-related apoptosis in auditory cortex neurons and miR-34a/Bcl-2 signaling, which may serve as a potential mechanism of the expression of AHL in the auditory cortex.


2012 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 263-274 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julien Menardo ◽  
Yong Tang ◽  
Sabine Ladrech ◽  
Marc Lenoir ◽  
François Casas ◽  
...  

Aging Cell ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 19 (12) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jose M. Bermúdez‐Muñoz ◽  
Adelaida M. Celaya ◽  
Sara Hijazo‐Pechero ◽  
Jing Wang ◽  
Manuel Serrano ◽  
...  

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