PAF receptor antagonists influence asphyxia-induced changes of the inner ear

The influence of a transient asphyxia on cochlear potentials, i.e. endolymphatic potential (EP), summating potential (SP) and cochlear microphonics (CM) was investigated in guinea pigs which were injected with two different PAF receptor antagonists before. It could be shown that apafant (WEB 2086) and bepafant (WEB 2170) significantly reduced the asphyxia-induced potential changes compared to controls. The results suggest a mediating role of PAF in the asphyxia model. The impact of the findings for therapeutics is discussed.