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Characterisation of cochlear inflammation in mice following acute and chronic noise exposure

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Abstract

Oxidative stress has been established as the key mechanism of the cochlear damage underlying noise-induced hearing loss, however, emerging evidence suggests that cochlear inflammation may also be a major contributor. This study aimed to improve our understanding of the cochlear inflammatory response associated with acute and chronic noise exposure. C57BL/6 mice were exposed to acute traumatic noise (100 dBSPL, 8–16 kHz for 24 h) and their cochleae collected at various intervals thereafter, up to 7 days. Using quantitative RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry, changes in expression levels of proinflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-1β), chemokines (CCL2) and cell adhesion molecules (ICAM-1) were studied. All gene transcripts displayed similar dynamics of expression, with an early upregulation at 6 h post-exposure, followed by a second peak at 7 days. ICAM-1 immunoexpression increased significantly in the inferior region of the spiral ligament, peaking 24 h post-exposure. The early expression of proinflammatory mediators likely mediates the recruitment and extravasation of inflammatory cells into the noise-exposed cochlea. The occurrence of the latter expression peak is not clear, but it may be associated with reparative processes initiated in response to cochlear damage. Chronic exposure to moderate noise (90 dBSPL, 8–16 kHz, 2 h/day, up to 4 weeks) also elicited an inflammatory response, reaching a maximum after 2 weeks, suggesting that cochlear damage and hearing loss associated with chronic environmental noise exposure may be linked to inflammatory processes in the cochlea. This study thus provides further insight into the dynamics of the cochlear inflammatory response induced by exposure to acute and chronic noise.

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Abbreviations

CCL2:

Chemokine (C–C motif) ligand 2

ICAM-1:

Intercellular adhesion molecule-1

IL-1β:

Interleukin-1beta

IL-6:

Interleukin-6

NIHL:

Noise-induced hearing loss

TNF-α:

Tumour necrosis factor alpha

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Acknowledgments

The authors wish to acknowledge the financial support from The University of Auckland and the Auckland Medical Research Foundation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, The University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland, 1142, New Zealand

    Winston J. T. Tan, Peter R. Thorne & Srdjan M. Vlajkovic

  2. Centre for Brain Research, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, The University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland, 1142, New Zealand

    Winston J. T. Tan, Peter R. Thorne & Srdjan M. Vlajkovic

  3. Section of Audiology, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, The University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland, 1142, New Zealand

    Peter R. Thorne

  4. Department of Surgery, Section of Otolaryngology, Yale School of Medicine, 310 Cedar St, BML 211, New Haven, CT, 06510, USA

    Winston J. T. Tan

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  1. Winston J. T. Tan
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Correspondence to Winston J. T. Tan.

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Tan, W.J.T., Thorne, P.R. & Vlajkovic, S.M. Characterisation of cochlear inflammation in mice following acute and chronic noise exposure. Histochem Cell Biol 146, 219–230 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00418-016-1436-5

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