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Updated: Aug 29, 2025

A Gut-on-a-Chip Model to Study the Gut Microbiome-Nervous System Axis
Published on: July 28, 2023
Recent Advancements in Understanding the Gut Microbiome and the Inner Ear Axis
Alexa J Denton1, Dimitri A Godur1, Jeenu Mittal1
1Department of Otolaryngology, Hearing Research and Cochlear Implant Laboratory, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, USA.
Abstract:
The gut microbiome and its dynamic association with organ systems beyond the gastrointestinal tract, such as the nervous and cardiovascular systems, is an emerging area of research. Although the role of the gut microbiome has been extensively characterized in the gut-brain axis, the implications of gut dysbiosis in inner ear inflammation and hearing deficits have still not been explored. With some similarities outlined between the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and the blood labyrinth barrier (BLB) of the inner ear, this review aims to explore the axis between the gut microbiome and the inner ear as it pertains to their bidirectional communication.
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