Related Experiment Videos
Development of cochlear sensitivity to aminoglycoside antibiotics
1University Laboratory of Physiology, Oxford, England.
The Annals of Otology, Rhinology, and Laryngology
|April 3, 1998
Summary
Aminoglycoside ototoxicity rapidly develops in rats just before hearing begins. Gentamicin and furosemide administration before postnatal day 8 (P8) showed no hearing damage, while later doses caused significant hearing loss.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Pharmacology
- Ototoxicology
Background:
- Aminoglycoside antibiotics are crucial for treating bacterial infections.
- Ototoxicity is a significant side effect of aminoglycoside use, impacting hearing.
- Understanding the timing of ototoxicity relative to auditory development is critical for risk assessment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the temporal relationship between aminoglycoside ototoxicity and the onset of auditory function in developing rats.
- To determine the critical developmental window for aminoglycoside-induced hearing damage.
Main Methods:
- Rats received a single dose of gentamicin sulfate and furosemide on postnatal days 6 through 10 (P6-P10).
- Auditory brainstem response (ABR) thresholds were measured in mature rats to assess ototoxicity.
- ABRs were evoked using acoustic clicks and tone pips.
Main Results:
- No significant difference in ABR thresholds was observed in control, P6, or P7 treated rats.
- Elevated ABR thresholds were noted in some P8 and all P9 treated rats.
- P10 treated rats exhibited profound hearing loss (deafness) based on ABR criteria.
Conclusions:
- The susceptibility to aminoglycoside ototoxicity emerges rapidly between P8 and P10 in rats.
- This critical period for ototoxicity coincides with the onset of auditory function.
- These findings highlight the vulnerability of the developing auditory system to aminoglycoside-induced damage.