title: Antioxidant protection against acoustic trauma by coadministration of idebenone and vitamin E.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Human Physiology , Catholic University of Rome (UCSC), Italy. afetoni@rm.unicatt.it
authors.forename: Anna R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Fetoni
authors.forename: Aldo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ferraresi
authors.forename: Carmelo La
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Greca
authors.forename: Davide
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Rizzo
authors.forename: Bruno
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Sergi
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Tringali
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Piacentini
authors.forename: Diana
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Troiani
mesh_terms: 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*
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D016227:Benzoquinones; D014451:Ubiquinone; D014810:Vitamin E; C036619:idebenone