Abstract
Objectives/Hypothesis:
The purpose of this study was to investigate possible preventive effects of anti‐intercellular adhesion molecule‐1 antibody (anti‐ICAM‐1 Ab) on noise‐induced cochlear damage as assessed by changes in auditory thresholds and cochlear blood flow.
Study Design:
A controlled animal study. Pretreated rats with anti‐ICAM‐1 Ab or saline control, followed with exposure to 72 continuous hours of broad band noise (107 dB SPL), and 24 hours after noise exposure treated again with anti‐ICAM‐1 Ab or saline.
Methods:
Eighteen healthy male Fischer rats (200–250 g) were used. Sixteen were randomly selected to study noise‐induced temporary threshold shifts. The remaining two rats were used to study cochlear blood flow (CBF), using laser Doppler flowmetry and blood pressure measurements.
Results:
Rats treated with anti‐ICAM‐1 Ab (1.875 mg/kg, intravenously) showed attenuated temporary threshold shifts (TTS) compared to controls. Both groups showed a partial threshold recovery 72 hours following noise exposure, normal for this noise exposure paradigm. Comparisons of baseline and post‐treatment measurements of CBF and mean arterial blood pressure revealed no significant changes. Anti‐ICAM‐1 Ab animals displayed significantly lower mean auditory threshold shifts at all five test frequencies (P < .05) when compared to control.
Conclusions:
Blocking the cascade of reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation by using anti‐ICAM‐Ab protects against noise‐induced hearing loss. Laryngoscope, 2009