Auditory degeneration after exposure to toluene in two genotypes of mice

Two inbred strains of mice, CBA/Ca (with a moderate hearing loss starting late in life) and C57BL/6J (with an early onset of spontaneous auditory degeneration), were exposed to toluene by inhalation (1000 ppm, 12 h/day, 7 days) at either 1 or 6 months of age. Thresholds of auditory brainstem response (ABR) were measured 3-5 days after exposure and assessed repeatedly up to the age of 16 months (C57) or 23 months (CBA). Both strains of mice exposed to toluene at 1 month of age showed a mild loss of sensitivity at a high frequency (31.5 kHz) shortly after exposure. With increasing age, toluene exposure had little effect on the aging process of the auditory system in CBA mice but accelerated age-related hearing loss in C57 mice. The results indicate that toluene exposure can aggravate auditory deterioration only in mice with a strong genetic predisposition to spontaneously precocious age-related hearing loss.