Antioxidant protection against acoustic trauma by coadministration of idebenone and vitamin E.
Idebenone, a synthetic analogue of coenzyme Q, attenuates noise-induced hearing loss by virtue of its antioxidant properties. This study involves a guinea pig model of acoustic trauma where the effectiveness of idebenone is analyzed in comparison with Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) that exhibits a potent antioxidant activity in the inner ear. Idebenone and vitamin E were injected intraperitoneally 1 h before noise exposure and once daily for three days; functional and morphological studies were then carried out, respectively, by auditory brainstem responses evaluation, scanning electron microscopy and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end labelling assay identification of missing and apoptotic cells was also performed. The results showed that the protective effects of idebenone and vitamin E were not additive implying that the two antioxidants may share competitive mechanisms.
Fetoni
Anna R
AR
Institute of Human Physiology , Catholic University of Rome (UCSC), Italy. afetoni@rm.unicatt.it
Ferraresi
Aldo
A
Greca
Carmelo La
CL
Rizzo
Davide
D
Sergi
Bruno
B
Tringali
Giuseppe
G
Piacentini
Roberto
R
Troiani
Diana
D
D000818:Animals; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016227:Benzoquinones / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004357:Drug Synergism; D004594:Electrophysiology; D006168:Guinea Pigs; D006309:Hearing / Q000502:physiology; D006317:Hearing Loss, Noise-Induced / Q000517:prevention & control*; D020287:In Situ Nick-End Labeling; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D009622:Noise / Q000009:adverse effects; D009925:Organ of Corti / Q000187:drug effects; D014451:Ubiquinone / Q000031:analogs & derivatives; D014810:Vitamin E / Q000627:therapeutic use*
D000975:Antioxidants; D016227:Benzoquinones; D014451:Ubiquinone; D014810:Vitamin E; C036619:idebenone