Acupuncture Attenuates Ototoxicity Induced by Gentamicin in Mice.

CONTEXT: Presbycusis is age-related, progressive, and symmetrical hearing loss in both ears. Acupuncture can play a vital role in the diagnosis and treatment of deafness, but its functional mechanism is still not entirely clear.

OBJECTIVE

The study intended to explore acupuncture's protective effects and mechanism of treatment in addressing ototoxicity induced by gentamicin (GM) in aged mice.

DESIGN

The research team designed an animal study, and a mouse model of ototoxicity induced by GM was established.

SETTING

The study took place in Nanchong Central Hospital, Sichuan, China.

ANIMALS: The animals were 48 male, Kunming mice, with sixteen being three months old and 32 being 18 month old.

INTERVENTION: The three-month-old mice were randomly assigned to a control group (n = 8) and a GM group (n = 8). The 18-month-old mice were randomly divided into four groups with eight mice each: a positive control group; a negative control group, the GM group; and two intervention groups, the acupuncture + GM group and the drug + GM group. The GM groups were intraperitoneally injected with 100 mg/kg daily of GM for 10 consecutive days. The acupuncture + GM group received acupuncture, and the drug + GM group was injected intraperitoneally with Genadol.

OUTCOME MEASURES: The effects of GM induction and treatment with acupuncture or a drug on the numbers of auditory cochlear hair cells were evaluated via an auditory test and cell staining. A real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed for gene detection. The levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD), malondialdehyde (MDA), and glutathione (GSH) were measured.

RESULTS

The aged mice were susceptible to GM ototoxicity. After acupuncture, the threshold of the auditory brainstem response and the number of cochlear hair cells increased significantly. Acupuncture inhibited oxidative stress via the nuclear factor erythroid-derived factor 2-related factor 2 (NRF2) signaling pathway in the mice.

CONCLUSIONS

The data demonstrated that acupuncture can alleviate GM ototoxicity via the NRF2 signaling pathway, providing important support for acupuncture in treatment of GM ototoxicity.