title: The anti-oxidant effect of alpha-tocopherol in the prevention of experimentally induced myringosclerosis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The objective of this study was to investigate the possible effect of alpha-tocopherol on the prevention of experimentally induced myringosclerosis.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  Myringosclerosis is a common sequela of ventilation tube treatment of otitis media with effusion. The relationship between oxygen-derived free radicals and occurrence of myringosclerosis has been proven in experimental models, and it was also shown that the formation of myringosclerosis after experimental myringotomy could be reduced by application of various free radical scavengers.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eighteen Wistar albino rats were myringotomized on the left side and randomly separated into two groups: group A consisted of rats which received intramuscular alpha-tocopherol injections 100 mg/kg daily and group B which were injected with physiological serum only. The occurrence of myringosclerotic plaques in the tympanic membranes of the two groups was compared by otomicroscopy, histopathology, and tympanometry, which is a novel method of quantification. Blood samples were collected for biochemical evaluation, and the tympanic membranes were harvested on the 15th day of the experiment.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In otomicroscopic evaluation, tympanic membranes in group B revealed varying degrees of myringosclerotic plaques; on the other hand, tympanic membranes in group A showed faint or no existence of myringosclerosis. The mean malondialdehyde levels were 1.33 +/- 0.11 micromol/L in group A and 7.49 +/- 1.37 micromol/L in group B (Z = -1.906, p = 0.057). In all ears from group B, the magnitude of the maximum admittance measured by tympanometry reduced to approximately 40% of the values obtained from group A (Z = -2,160, p = 0.031). The mean magnitude of the maximum admittance from group A was very close to the standardization values of Wistar albino rats, which predicts a functional outcome.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The formation of myringosclerosis after experimental myringotomy can be diminished by intramuscular alpha-tocopherol injections.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Ataturk Training and Research Hospital, Izmir, Turkey. ckazikdas@yahoo.com
authors.forename: K Cagdas
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Kazikdas
authors.forename: M Zafer
authors.initials: MZ
authors.lastname: Uguz
authors.forename: Guven
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Erbil
authors.forename: Kazim
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tugyan
authors.forename: Osman
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Yilmaz
authors.forename: Ensari
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Guneli
authors.forename: Zekiye
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Altun
mesh_terms: D000158:Acoustic Impedance Tests; D000818:Animals; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D007273:Injections, Intramuscular; D008876:Middle Ear Ventilation / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000379:methods; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D010034:Otitis Media with Effusion / Q000601:surgery; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000517:prevention & control*; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012598:Sclerosis / Q000517:prevention & control; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014432:Tympanic Membrane / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology*; D024502:alpha-Tocopherol / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D024502:alpha-Tocopherol