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KMID : 1195620090020010006
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Clinical and Experimental Otorhinolaryngology
2009 Volume.2 No. 1 p.6 ~ p.12
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Antioxidant and Anti-Apoptotic Effect of Melatonin on the Vestibular Hair Cells of Rat Utricles
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Kim Jeong-Beom
Jung Jae-Yun
Ahn Jin-Chul
Rhee Chung-Ku
Hwang Hee-Jun
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Abstract
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Objectives: Aminoglycosides are commonly used antibiotic agents, and they are known to generate free oxygen radicals within the inner ear and to cause vestibulo-cochlear toxicity and permanent damage to the sensory hair cells and neurons. Melatonin, a pineal secretory product, has the properties of being a powerful direct and indirect antioxidant. The aim of the present study was to prove the antioxidant effect of melatonin against gentamicin-induced ototoxicty.
Methods: The utricular maculae of Sprague-Dawley rats were prepared from postnatal day 2-4, and these maculae were were divided into 6 groups as follows: 1) control, 2) melatonin only, 3) gentamicin only, and 4), 5), and 6) gentamicin plus melatonin (10, 50, and 100 μM, respectively). To count the number of hair cells, 5 utricles from each group were stained with phalloidin-FITC on the 1st, 4th, and 7th days after drug administration. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) was assessed by using the fluorescent probe hydrofluorescent diacetate acetyl ester. The caspase-3 activity was also examined with using the fluorescent caspase-3 substrate and performing Western blotting.
Results: The result of this study showed that gentamicin induced the loss of utricular hair cells, and this loss of hair cells was significantly attenuated by co-administration of melatonin. Melatonin reduced ROS production and caspase-3 activation in the gentamicin treated utricular hair cells.
Conclusion: Our findings conclusively reveal that melatonin has protective effects against gentamicin-induced hair cell loss in the utricles of rat by inhibiting both ROS production and caspase-3 activity.
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KEYWORD
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Melatonin, Ototoxicity, Antioxidants, Utricle
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