[Treatment effects of fibroblast growth factors on blast-induced hearing loss]

Nineteen guinea pigs were chosen to measure the compound action potential (CAP) using the silver-ball electrode before and after explosion and 48 h after perfusion of acidic fibroblast growth factor (aFGF) and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF). After explosion the average CAP thresholds in the group perfused with bFGF and aFGF were 88.7 dB and 93.2 dB SPL respectivery, the CAP threshold in the control group was 119.4 dB SPL. The difference was significant. The results of the hair cell count from the surface preparation of the cochlea showed that hair cell damage in the control group was more severe than that in the group perfused with aFGF and bFGF. It suggests that aFGF and bFGF perfused to the cochlea may facilitate recovery processes of hearing loss and help to repair the hair cell following acoustic trauma.