scholarly journals Deafness and Cochlear Fibrocyte Alterations in Mice Deficient for the Inner Ear Protein Otospiralin

2005 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 847-853 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin Delprat ◽  
Jérôme Ruel ◽  
Matthieu J. Guitton ◽  
Ghyslaine Hamard ◽  
Marc Lenoir ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT In the cochlea, the mammalian auditory organ, fibrocytes of the mesenchymal nonsensory regions play important roles in cochlear physiology, including the maintenance of ionic and hydric components in the endolymph. Occurrence of human deafness in fibrocyte alterations underlines their critical roles in auditory function. We recently described a novel gene, Otos, which encodes otospiralin, a small protein of unknown function that is produced by the fibrocytes of the cochlea and vestibule. We now have generated mice with deletion of Otos and found that they show moderate deafness, with no frequency predominance. Histopathology revealed a degeneration of type II and IV fibrocytes, while hair cells and stria vascularis appeared normal. Together, these findings suggest that impairment of fibrocytes caused by the loss in otospiralin leads to abnormal cochlear physiology and auditory function. This moderate dysfunction may predispose to age-related hearing loss.

Pharmaceutics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. 1041
Author(s):  
Jacqueline Chester ◽  
Edan Johnston ◽  
Daniel Walker ◽  
Melissa Jones ◽  
Corina Mihaela Ionescu ◽  
...  

Aging is considered a contributing factor to many diseases such as cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and hearing loss. Age-related hearing loss, also termed presbycusis, is one of the most common sensory impairments worldwide, affecting one in five people over 50 years of age, and this prevalence is growing annually. Associations have emerged between presbycusis and detrimental health outcomes, including social isolation and mental health. It remains largely untreatable apart from hearing aids, and with no globally established prevention strategies in the clinical setting. Hence, this review aims to explore the pathophysiology of presbycusis and potential therapies, based on a recent advancement in bile acid-based bio-nanotechnologies. A comprehensive online search was carried out using the following keywords: presbycusis, drugs, hearing loss, bile acids, nanotechnology, and more than 150 publications were considered directly relevant. Evidence of the multifaceted oxidative stress and chronic inflammation involvement in cellular damage and apoptosis that is associated with a loss of hair cells, damaged and inflamed stria vascularis, and neuronal signalling loss and apoptosis continues to emerge. New robust and effective therapies require drug delivery deeper into the various layers of the cochlea. Bile acid-based nanotechnology has gained wide interest in its permeation-enhancing ability and potential for numerous applications in treating presbycusis.


F1000Research ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. 927 ◽  
Author(s):  
M Charles Liberman

The classic view of sensorineural hearing loss has been that the primary damage targets are hair cells and that auditory nerve loss is typically secondary to hair cell degeneration. Recent work has challenged that view. In noise-induced hearing loss, exposures causing only reversible threshold shifts (and no hair cell loss) nevertheless cause permanent loss of >50% of the synaptic connections between hair cells and the auditory nerve. Similarly, in age-related hearing loss, degeneration of cochlear synapses precedes both hair cell loss and threshold elevation. This primary neural degeneration has remained a “hidden hearing loss” for two reasons: 1) the neuronal cell bodies survive for years despite loss of synaptic connection with hair cells, and 2) the degeneration is selective for auditory nerve fibers with high thresholds. Although not required for threshold detection when quiet, these high-threshold fibers are critical for hearing in noisy environments. Research suggests that primary neural degeneration is an important contributor to the perceptual handicap in sensorineural hearing loss, and it may be key to the generation of tinnitus and other associated perceptual anomalies. In cases where the hair cells survive, neurotrophin therapies can elicit neurite outgrowth from surviving auditory neurons and re-establishment of their peripheral synapses; thus, treatments may be on the horizon.


2013 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 299-302 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert D. Frisina ◽  
D. Robert Frisina

Purpose The aim of this study was to highlight growing evidence of interactions between hormones and the structure and function of the auditory system. Method Recent studies implicating sex hormones and other natural hormones in the modulation of hearing status in age-related hearing loss were reviewed. Results Progesterone, a sex hormone, has been shown to have negative effects on the hearing of older women and aging mice, whereas, in contrast, estrogen was found in some cases to have a positive influence. Aldosterone, used in studies of animal models of autoimmune hearing loss, slowed the progression of hearing loss. Follow-up studies in humans revealed that auditory measures varied as serum aldosterone levels shifted within the normal range, in otherwise healthy older subjects. This was true for simple as well as complex auditory tasks (i.e., sound spatial processing), suggesting benefits of aldosterone to postperipheral auditory processing as well. In addition, evidence suggests that this functional hearing improvement occurred in association with anatomical improvements to the stria vascularis—an important site of anatomical change in presbycusis. Conclusions Audiology is now at the point where the search for biomedical interventions to modulate or prevent age-related hearing loss can move forward. Such interventions would require multidisciplinary collaborative initiatives by researchers in such areas as drug development, anatomy, auditory physiological and perceptual testing, and drug microdelivery systems.


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.


2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chisato Fujimoto ◽  
Tatsuya Yamasoba

Age-related hearing loss (ARHL), the progressive loss of hearing associated with aging, is the most common sensory disorder in the elderly population. The pathology of ARHL includes the hair cells of the organ of Corti, stria vascularis, and afferent spiral ganglion neurons as well as the central auditory pathways. Many studies have suggested that the accumulation of mitochondrial DNA damage, the production of reactive oxygen species, and decreased antioxidant function are associated with subsequent cochlear senescence in response to aging stress. Mitochondria play a crucial role in the induction of intrinsic apoptosis in cochlear cells. ARHL can be prevented in laboratory animals by certain interventions, such as caloric restriction and supplementation with antioxidants. In this review, we will focus on previous research concerning the role of the oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction in the pathology of ARHL in both animal models and humans and introduce concepts that have recently emerged regarding the mechanisms of the development of ARHL.


2006 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 228-236 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Mills ◽  
Richard Schmiedt ◽  
Bradley Schulte ◽  
Judy Dubno

2020 ◽  
Vol 117 (21) ◽  
pp. 11811-11819 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luis E. Boero ◽  
Valeria C. Castagna ◽  
Gonzalo Terreros ◽  
Marcelo J. Moglie ◽  
Sebastián Silva ◽  
...  

“Growing old” is the most common cause of hearing loss. Age-related hearing loss (ARHL) (presbycusis) first affects the ability to understand speech in background noise, even when auditory thresholds in quiet are normal. It has been suggested that cochlear denervation (“synaptopathy”) is an early contributor to age-related auditory decline. In the present work, we characterized age-related cochlear synaptic degeneration and hair cell loss in mice with enhanced α9α10 cholinergic nicotinic receptors gating kinetics (“gain of function” nAChRs). These mediate inhibitory olivocochlear feedback through the activation of associated calcium-gated potassium channels. Cochlear function was assessed via distortion product otoacoustic emissions and auditory brainstem responses. Cochlear structure was characterized in immunolabeled organ of Corti whole mounts using confocal microscopy to quantify hair cells, auditory neurons, presynaptic ribbons, and postsynaptic glutamate receptors. Aged wild-type mice had elevated acoustic thresholds and synaptic loss. Afferent synapses were lost from inner hair cells throughout the aged cochlea, together with some loss of outer hair cells. In contrast, cochlear structure and function were preserved in aged mice with gain-of-function nAChRs that provide enhanced olivocochlear inhibition, suggesting that efferent feedback is important for long-term maintenance of inner ear function. Our work provides evidence that olivocochlear-mediated resistance to presbycusis-ARHL occurs via the α9α10 nAChR complexes on outer hair cells. Thus, enhancement of the medial olivocochlear system could be a viable strategy to prevent age-related hearing loss.


2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Makoto Kinoshita ◽  
Takashi Sakamoto ◽  
Akinori Kashio ◽  
Takahiko Shimizu ◽  
Tatsuya Yamasoba

Age-related hearing loss (AHL) reduces the quality of life for many elderly individuals. Manganese superoxide dismutase (Mn-SOD), one of the antioxidant enzymes acting within the mitochondria, plays a crucial role in scavenging reactive oxygen species (ROS). To determine whether reduction in Mn-SOD accelerates AHL, we evaluated auditory function in Mn-SOD heterozygous knockout (HET) mice and their littermate wild-type (WT) C57BL/6 mice by means of auditory brainstem response (ABR). Mean ABR thresholds were significantly increased at 16 months when compared to those at 4 months in both WT and HET mice, but they did not significantly differ between them at either age. The extent of hair cell loss, spiral ganglion cell density, and thickness of the stria vascularis also did not differ between WT and HET mice at either age. At 16 months, immunoreactivity of 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine was significantly greater in the SGC and SV in HET mice compared to WT mice, but that of 4-hydroxynonenal did not differ between them. These findings suggest that, although decrease of Mn-SOD by half may increase oxidative stress in the cochlea to some extent, it may not be sufficient to accelerate age-related cochlear damage under physiological aging process.


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