Electrophysiological study of the ototoxicity of kanamycin during development in guinea pigs

In order to test the ototoxicity of antibiotics during development, pregnant guinea pigs were intoxicated with kanamycin at different stages of gestation. Eighty newborn guinea pigs were tested electrophysiologically by recording the cochlear microphonic potential and the compound action potential from the round window in response to tone bursts and filtered clicks of various frequencies. Thirty-one animals presented antibiotic injury and showed electrophysiological changes similar to those previously described in adult mammals after kanamycin intoxication. The results suggest a relationship between the ototoxicity of kanamycin and the onset of the auditory function: cochlear potentials were mostly affected when the intoxication was performed during the last 15 days of gestation.