title: N-acetylcysteine Prevents Gentamicin Ototoxicity in a Rat Model.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The possible preventive effect of N-acetylcysteine (NAC) in gentamicin ototoxicity was studied with auditory brain stem responses (ABRs), otoacoustic emissions (OAEs), and histopathological investigation of the cochlea.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study is conducted on 36 rats in three groups. Gentamicin, gentamicin plus NAC, and NAC alone were intraperitoneally administered for 15 days. The rats were sacrificed to study the cochleas after testing hearing levels.
  
  
  RESULTS
  ABR thresholds and OAEs were attenuated in the gentamicin group, in which apoptosis was detected with histopathological investigation. The group that received NAC in addition to gentamicin had better ABR thresholds and better OAEs. The histopathological evidence of apoptosis in was considerably less in this group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Gentamicin ototoxicity can be detected by ABR and OAE testing in rats, and NAC may protect the cochlear cells from apoptosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Erciyes University Faculty of Medicine, Kayseri, Turkey. somdas@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Mehmet Akif
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Somdaş
authors.forename: Ferhat
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Korkmaz
authors.forename: Seren Gülsen
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Gürgen
authors.forename: Mustafa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sagit
authors.forename: Alper
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Akçadağ
mesh_terms: D000111:Acetylcysteine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D003051:Cochlea / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004427:Ear Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000473:pathology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D016057:Evoked Potentials, Auditory, Brain Stem; D005260:Female; D016166:Free Radical Scavengers / Q000494:pharmacology; D005839:Gentamicins / Q000633:toxicity*; D017084:Otoacoustic Emissions, Spontaneous / Q000187:drug effects*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D017208:Rats, Wistar
chemical_list: D016166:Free Radical Scavengers; D005839:Gentamicins; D000111:Acetylcysteine