Prevention of gentamicin ototoxicity with N-acetylcysteine and vitamin A.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the use of systemic N-acetylcysteine and vitamin A in the prevention of gentamicin ototoxicity in rats.


METHODS
Forty-two Wistar rats were divided into four groups according to treatment: intratympanic saline, intratympanic gentamicin, intraperitoneal vitamin A after intratympanic gentamicin, and intraperitoneal N-acetylcysteine after intratympanic gentamicin. Signal-to-noise ratio and distortion product otoacoustic emissions were evaluated in all groups.


RESULTS
N-acetylcysteine had a significant protective effect at 1.5, 2, 3, 4, 6 and 8 kHz, whilst vitamin A had a significant protective effect at 2, 3, 4 and 6 kHz, as determined by the distortion product otoacoustic emission measurements. According to the signal-to-noise measurements, N-acetylcysteine had a significant protective effect at 1.5, 2, 3, 4, 6 and 8 kHz, whilst vitamin A had a significant protective effect at 3, 6 and 8 kHz.


CONCLUSIONS
Gentamicin-induced hearing loss in rats may be prevented by the concomitant use of vitamin A and N-acetylcysteine. Specifically, N-acetylcysteine appeared to have a more protective effect than vitamin A for a greater range of noise frequencies.
Department of Otorhinolaryngology,Izmir Katip Celebi University,Ataturk Training and Research Hospital,Izmir,Turkey.
I
I
Aladag
Department of Otorhinolaryngology,Sakarya University Medical Faculty,Sakarya,Turkey.
M
M
Guven
Department of Otorhinolaryngology,Izmir Katip Celebi University,Ataturk Training and Research Hospital,Izmir,Turkey.
M
M
Songu
D000111:Acetylcysteine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000633:toxicity*; D016166:Free Radical Scavengers / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005839:Gentamicins / Q000633:toxicity*; D006309:Hearing / Q000187:drug effects; D034381:Hearing Loss / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000517:prevention & control*; D008297:Male; D017084:Otoacoustic Emissions, Spontaneous / Q000187:drug effects*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D059629:Signal-To-Noise Ratio; D014801:Vitamin A / Q000494:pharmacology*; D014815:Vitamins / Q000494:pharmacology*
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D016166:Free Radical Scavengers; D005839:Gentamicins; D014815:Vitamins; D014801:Vitamin A; D000111:Acetylcysteine
Aminoglycosides; Hearing Loss; N-Acetylcysteine; Rats; Vitamin A