Organophosphate-related ototoxicity: Description of the vestibulocochlear system ultrastructural aspects of guinea pigs.

UNLABELLED: Organophosphate toxic agents are used in agriculture and are currently part of the group of toxic agents which can lead to hearing loss, in which we have solvents, metals and asphyxiation agents.

AIM: To analyze the acute ototoxic action of a group of organophosphate agents in the vestibulo-cochlear system. This is a prospective experimental study.

MATERIALS AND

METHODS

We used male albino guinea pigs, broken down into three groups, to which we provided distilled water (group 1 - control), agrotoxic agent - 0.3 mg/Kg/day (group 2), agrotoxic - 3 mg/Kg/day (group 3), during 7 seven consecutive days. The most used agrotoxic agent was Tamaron BR (metamidophos). The anatomical evaluation of the cochlea, saccule and utricle was carried out by means of electronic scanning microscopy after the use of the agrotoxic agent.

RESULTS

The guinea pigs submitted to the organophosphate presented cochlear morphological alterations with lesions on the three turns analyzed, as well as cilia alterations in the saccule and utricle, intensified according to the agent dosage.

CONCLUSION

The morphological alterations seen in the hair cells exposed to daily doses of organophosphate promote evidences of an acute deleterious effect of agrotoxic agents on the vestibulo-cochlear system.